Justin Anderson: Phoenix Suns 2015 Draft Profile

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Mar 22, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Justin Anderson (1) defends Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) during the second half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena. Michigan State won 60-54. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

Strengths

Anderson is going to be a hell of a defender at the NBA level.

Anderson, a lot like Delon Wright out of Utah and Kawhi Leonard at the NBA level, is one of those rare guys who has the ability to play defense with an offensive mentality.

At the college level, Anderson was physically overpowering and had enough foot speed that most players had no choice but to take the pounding.

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With a 6’11” wingspan, Anderson has no problem guarding everything from point guards to power forwards, which makes him an ideal defender in an increasingly switch-happy NBA. That length, strength and ability to jump out the roof allowed Anderson to get by despite less than superb fundamentals.

Of course that has most talent evaluators salivating at what Anderson could become at that end with NBA coaching.

While Anderson’s defense is his greatest asset, his dramatically improved jump shot is what turned him into a potential first round pick. Anderson simplified his shot between his sophomore and junior season and turned into a legitimately deadly gunner.

Per DraftExpress, Anderson scored 1.32 points per possession on catch-and-shoot jumpers (96th percentile) and significantly improved off the dribble. He’s almost always on balance, something he used to struggle with, and takes full advantage of his ability to get up that makes it difficult to contest.

The former Cavalier used that same bounce to finish with ferocity around the rim. The always fun “nothing but threes and dunks strategy” allowed Anderson to be one of the most efficient offensive players in the country.

In his own words, Anderson shot “extremely well” during his Boston Celtics workout.

“What fires me up is when people say, ‘You’ve got to work hard on your game’ and, ‘You’ve got to work to improve in the offseason,’” said Anderson after the workout. “Then I did that, and people are questioning why my three-point percentage went up. That’s what fires me up.”

Next: Weaknesses

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