Sixers Will Need To Polish Justin Anderson’s Game

By George Kondoleon | Feb 24, 2017

Feb 6, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Justin Anderson (1) in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

A very surprising trade shook up the Sixers roster, leaving Philadelphia with a new wing prospect in Justin Anderson. The team will have to put him through a vigorous developmental path to see him become effective.

Justin Anderson once ruled the NCAA as one of the top players in the country. His star power shined through at Virginia, and now the Sixers have the task of trying to regain some of that star power. Anderson was the centerpiece of the Nerlens Noel deal, and can prove to be a solid developmental piece off of the bench.

He comes in with adversity already. Coming in as the return for one of the organization’s longest-tenured player is difficult enough as is. Let alone the fact that Anderson is coming in to serve as a role player, rather than a bonafide star. Either way Anderson does have the potential to be a piece in this Sixers rebuild moving forward.

Defensively, his length allows him to recover for lapses of judgement. He has an impressive 6’11 wingspan which could see him moving along many positions. For bigger lineups he could fill in as the two-guard, and could see himself at the four-spot in small ball lineups. Versatility will help him, but he struggles to stick with his man off-ball, often being drawn in by ball fakes. He’s not quick, but he’s still athletic enough to make up for defensive IQ deficiencies when being coached up.

More from Philadelphia 76ers

Anderson was hardly an offensive impact for Dallas. He’s often seen hovering around the three-point line, being used positionally as someone to merely space the floor for the rest of the offensive.

He does do a decent job of cutting to the basket without the ball in his hands, but nothing that stands out. When he does get the ball, he’s effective in finding ways to the rim. His finishing is questionable at times around the rim, however.

His shooting has been a dud aspect of his game since coming out of college. Anderson’s true shooting percentage puts him in just the league’s 30th percentile for small forwards. His shot selection is hardly an issue, the shots just simply don’t go in. There is hope that Anderson can find his stroke again, creating an outside scoring threat behind Robert Covington.

The one glaring positive is how active Justin Anderson is. He rarely is seen merely standing around and often crashes the glass on both ends. Per 36 minutes, Anderson averages 7.5 rebounds. His total rebound percentage also puts him among the top small forwards, placing himself in the 90th percentile in that category.

Anderson isn’t the most skilled player, but his motor gives signs that he’s willing to improve. His role as a bench player will be important moving forward, but as of now it will be imperative for the Sixers to improve his game.

I see him finding a similar success to that of rookie Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. Brett Brown has done a wonderful job of quickly developing his ability to impact the game off the ball, and to maximize Anderson’s game, the same work must be done. Finding easy passing lanes for when Ben Simmons returns is what the Sixers should be molding their non-big men role players to do. Shooting is a long-term process, but one that would turn Anderson from a project to a very good bench option.

Next: Sixers Deal Noel To Dallas

There isn’t much to base off Anderson’s game. The Sixers are banking on an Anderson awakening in a big way to validate the departure of Noel. In the short term, Anderson will likely see his share of lineup experiments, where he gets bounced around to three different positions. If the Sixers find a way to utilize him, there is a solid future for Anderson as a bench player in this league.