4. Kyle Anderson | UCLA | Sophomore, 20 years old
PG/SF, 6-8, 235
Last season (29.9 MPG): 9.7 PPG, 8.6 RPG, 3.5 APG, 20.2 PER
Outlook: On paper, Anderson is one of the most unique players in the country — he’s 6-8 with a 7-2 wingspan, with the size of a wing and the skills of a point guard. But for all of his physical gifts and versatility, Anderson is a below-the-rim, flat-footed, Slow Motion (his nickname in high school was literally “Slow Mo”) player who’s lack of athleticism tends to surface at some point every game. Sometimes Anderson looks like he is attacking the defense and proceeding at his own speed, but other times he looks a step behind.
So where does Anderson lie in the context of the NBA Draft? Even after a full year of college basketball, it’s still difficult for me to definitively appraise Anderson’s NBA potential. I say this because I saw him dominate his high school class, but I’m not blind to the athletic shortcomings which hinder him.
Last season, Anderson was an “average” player in both half court and transition. His .938 points per possession in transition situations ranked in the 34th percentile nationally, while his .794 points per possession in the half court ranked in the 49th percentile. Granted, though, UCLA’s crowded backcourt of Larry Drew, Shabazz Muhammad and Jordan Adams made it tough for Anderson to establish a rhythm and find his role in the offense (he averaged the fourth most shot attempts on the team, and played the fourth most minutes).
Let’s take a look at Anderson’s game.
Jump Shot
Anderson posted a below average .667 points per possession in spot up situations, ranking in the bottom 20 percentile nationally. But, for the sake of this evaluation, just disregard those numbers — after all, only 13.3% of his shots were spot-ups.
Simply by watching the video, we can dissect Anderson’s jump shot. He a slow release and poor lift on his shot, basically counteracting his own advantage (height). Defenders can play off him but still have time to contest his shot. Also, on a few of the clips, Anderson unnecessarily fades away on his release.
Runner
Anderson uses his length to get into the paint, and he also sets up in the high post (especially against a zone), so last season we saw him attempt quite a few runners. He was average at best on runners, shooting 33.3% from the field on such attempts, and I think his struggles are directly attributable to 1) his hesitancy to make decisions, and 2) his lack of “burst” in the paint.
In the first clip, Anderson uses a quick crossover to get by his man, but then panics in the paint, throwing up a jump-pass-shot at the rim. Anderson has touch, but man, his lack of self-confidence on drives really held him back last season. Anderson missed more than a few runners at point-blank range.
EURO-STEP?
Because Anderson’s lack of athleticism makes it difficult to finish in open space, after watching some film a thought occured to me: Anderson is a silky-smooth player; why not perfect a smooth Euro-step? If he can time his Euro-step correctly, his length is too much for anyone to stay with him. Here is one example:
DEFENDING JUMP SHOTS
Although very tall and long, Anderson surrendered .983 points per possession on jump shots, ranking in the bottom 30 percentile. When you look at the film, it seems Anderson often inexplicably backs off his man, and stands there ball-watching. This results in easy jump shots for the opposition. I’m not sure if Anderson backs off because he thinks he can fully recover and get a hand up, or because he’s a bit lazy, but as the clips below show, he doesn’t have the type of close-out speed to nonchalantly back off his man.
PICK-AND-ROLL DEFENSE
Anderson length enables him to deflect passes and alter shots—he posted 2.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per 40 minutes, pace adjusted—consistently making his presence felt on the defensive end. However, his lack of athleticism leaves him susceptible to quicker guards, and he often gets beat one-on-one.
Anderson can go under screens and still recover to contest a jump shot, or can go over screens. He can also switch onto a big man, or even blitz-trap a big man in the post, using his length to force a steal (we see this at the :35 second mark).
OVERALL
Perhaps no returning player will have more to prove than Kyle Anderson this season. With a new head coach, new freedom (Larry Drew and Shabazz Muhammad—the two most-featured UCLA backcourt players last season—are gone), and with an entire offseason to retool his game for the college level, Anderson will have a chance to fully prove himself this season. His unique physical makeup and solid floor vision will always intrigue NBA scouts, but questions about athleticism and inability to finish through contact persist as well. If Anderson has true NBA promise, this is the season he’ll show it.