Weaknesses
For all of his newfound efficiency on the offensive end, Anderson doesn’t exactly have star upside due to his limited ability off the dribble. The lefty excelled at straight line drives against a closing out defender, but lacks the ability to make something out of nothing against a set defense.
Anderson scored just .455 points per possession on isolations, one of the worst marks in the entire country. The root at the problem came at the rim where he shot just 51 percent, a number that would look a lot uglier without all the “gimme” dunks.
While Anderson’s lack of fundamentals on the defensive end can be spun in a positive light, they still exist and it’s never a guarantee a player (even a workaholic like Anderson) will figure that stuff out. Anderson has enough natural ability and fight that those issues didn’t get exposed in college, but over big NBA minutes those cracks are going to show unless improvement is made.
Guys besides D’Angelo Russell who stock improved a ton this season: Jerian Grant, Devin Booker, Cameron Payne, Justin Anderson.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 4, 2015
Speaking of improvement, Anderson’s was a little bit too rapid to believe. While 22 games is a large enough sample size, the 104 three-pointers he took over the course of 27 isn’t. It’s one thing consistently hitting high quality attempts against college defense, it’s another in a pressure packed playoff game with zero breathing room.
Next: Potential Fit