Philadelphia 76ers: Justin Anderson lands on the first-team All-G-League

Joel Embiid not landing on the first or second All-Defensive team is a hard tragedy.

No offense to Bam Adebayo and Robert “Timelord” Williams III, who are both very good indeed, but Embiid was probably more impactful on the defensive end of the court than on offense, which is saying a lot, considering he led the association in scoring.

What gives? Does the NBA have an anti-Philadelphia 76ers agenda? I mean sure, Matisse Thybulle made the All-Defensive second team, but he was drafted by Elton Brand, who was GM three of the post-Sam Hinkie era.

*sigh,* I could literally go on and on and on but instead, let’s talk about one of Joel Embiid’s favorite former Philadelphia 76ers teammates, who earned his own post-season honors.

Ex-Philadelphia 76ers forward Justin Anderson is All G-League.

Though he hasn’t been a member of the Philadelphia 76ers since 2018, Justin Anderson will forever have a home in South Philadelphia.

Initially acquired from the Dallas Mavericks alongside Andrew Bogut, and a protected first-round pick that ultimately didn’t convey for former sixth overall pick and noted-Process starter Nerlens Noel, Anderson spent the better part of two seasons with the Sixers, until he too was traded, this time in a three-team trade alongside Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot for Mike Muscala. Anderson ultimately played in 62 games, averaged 7.1 points, and most memorably of all, helped to slow down Dwyane Wade on the way to the team’s first of four trips to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals in five years.

Oh yeah, and did I mention that Anderson became one of Joel Embiid’s best friends in the, um, Process too? Because he did.

Since leaving the City of Brotherly Love, Anderson has bounced around the NBA world, playing for the Atlanta Hawks, the Brooklyn Nets, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Indiana Pacers, in addition to stints in the G-League with the Raptors 905, the Long Island Nets, and the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. While Anderson has largely been a deep bench performer in his post-Sixers run, his production picked up a bit down the stretch in 2021-22, where he averaged 6.8 points in 20.7 minutes in 13 games with six starts for the out-of-playoff-contention Pacers.

Certainly Anderson’s efforts on 10-day contracts in Indiana will earn him a camp offer later this year but where JA really shined in 2021-22 was on in the G-League, where he was a terror for the Mad Ants of Fort Wayne. In 22 games of action, Anderson averaged 27.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.5 steals while hitting 47.8 percent of his shots from the field and 39.6 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

These numbers, when coupled with his efforts on the defensive end of the court, were good enough to earn Anderson a spot on the first-team All-G-League alongside Moses Wright, Trevelin Queen, Justin Tillman, and former Sixer Mason Jones.

Sidebar: Charles Bassey and Braxton Key of the Delaware Blue Coats and Cat Barber, formerly of the Delaware 87ers, were featured on the second-team all G-League, proving that the First State basketball pipeline is alive and well.

And the best part? Anderson videotaped finding out about the award so we can all enjoy together.

Goodness, talk about wholesome content.

Will Justin Anderson finally stick around at the NBA level? Will he be able to parlay some really good basketball playing in the Hoosier State into a full-time, one-way contract, or will he have to work around the margins to keep his basketball dreams alive? Only time will tell, but I’ve gotta say, after watching the Philadelphia 76ers’ wing defense when Matisse Thybulle is on the bench – or in America- having a player like JA available could be very useful indeed. Need a reference? Just ask his good pal Joel Embiid.