Kyle Anderson: San Antonio Spurs Rookie Report
By Aaron Mah
When “Slow-Mo” Kyle Anderson was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with the 30th overall pick in this past year’s draft, he was immediately anointed as the steal of the class.
Not only do the Spurs possess a sterling reputation when it comes to finding late round gems — like Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, and Luis Scola, and more recently, Tiago Splitter and George Hill — Anderson was also a highly decorated collegiate star.
Most notably, Anderson averaged 14.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game during his sophomore season at UCLA, and was named a third-team All-American, a first-team All-Pac-12 member, as well as the Most Outstanding Player of the 2014 Pac-12 Tournament.
As a 6’9″, multi-positioned, highly-skilled point forward, many thought Anderson would fit perfectly with the Spurs’ ball moving, crisp-passing style — and, the logical eventual successor to Boris Diaw.
However, I was a bit more skeptical than most.
At UCLA, especially during his breakout sophomore campaign, Anderson served primarily as the Bruins’ point guard — not point forward, or 4 who handled the ball a lot.
Accordingly, Anderson was UCLA’s offensive initiator, where most of his points and assists derived from him, dominating the ball, playing as the pick-and-roll negotiator. At his size, and college basketball’s never-ending shot clock, Anderson was able to endlessly probe and pick apart the opposition by seeing over defenses and shooting over smaller college guards.
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With the Spurs, Anderson’s game was going to have to change drastically. Even though Anderson was an accomplished spot-up shooter in college, as he produced 1.42 points per possession in catch-and-shoot situations, per Draft Express, there were major concerns as to how he would create offense while playing primarily on the wing.
Specifically, although Anderson possesses tremendous length (7’3″ wingspan and an 8-foot-11.5 standing reach) — in conjunction, he has a considerable amount of boog and shake in his game — it was hard to imagine how Anderson would do against NBA wing defenders with similar length and superior athleticism, in addition to operating with a shortened dribble.
Moreover, with his woefully slow release and the longer NBA three-point line, it was also difficult to determine how his spot-up shooting would translate.
And, of course, when your nickname is “Slow-Mo,” there are going to be legitimate concerns regarding your foot speed and explosiveness.
Most alarmingly, who will Anderson guard in the NBA? Will the Spurs have to perpetually hide him on defense? Situated in the Western Conference, that would be next to impossible to do, as teams — like the Dallas Mavericks, the Portland Trail Blazers, and the Golden State Warriors — have five offensive threats on the floor at any given time during a game.
He has been proving his detractors (like me), who said he wouldn’t be quick enough to defend in the NBA, wrong so far, though, as he has displayed an aggressive aptitude in fighting over screens, cutting off passing lanes, and contesting shot attempts.
Laterally, he has been quick enough to stay in front of backup forwards. As a help defender, he is still a bit lethargic, but as a rookie, he’s been solid.
On the offensive end, however, Anderson struggled mightily during the first month of the season. In particular, he played too much into his role — solely spotting up, and not utilizing his playmaking strengths. It did not help, maybe as a result of pressing too much, staring off in a major shooting slump, as he converted just two out of his 24 shot attempts in November.
He would receive very limited playing time, thereafter, as he was a major net negative on offense. But, during the month of hell for San Antonio, also known as December, where injuries, a tough schedule, and some rotten luck decimated the Spurs, head coach Greg Popovich had no choice but to give his 21-year-old rookie another chance.
Anderson has taken full advantage of his second opportunity. As a result, he is playing a much looser brand of basketball — unconfined to any particular stringent role.
He has earned the respect of NBA defenses after hitting a couple of open spot up opportunities, and consequently, the entire game has opened up for Slow-Mo. Specifically, he is now attacking on aggressive close-outs, and playing to his greatest strength — his innate instinctual feel for the game.
It is truly awe-inspiring seeing Anderson slither into the teeth of defense, while he puts the entire game on freeze frame, as he casually spoon feeds his hall-of-fame-to-be teammate, Tim Duncan, for an uncontested dunk.
His ability to go at his own snail’s pace — while the opposition, equipped with the world’s most explosive athletes, lay wake on his drives — is what makes Anderson truly special, and will be what, ultimately, give him staying-power within the NBA.
Anderson’s improved play has also earned the trust and admiration of his hard-to-please head coach.
Interestingly, Pop is starting to utilize Anderson in a myriad of ways — from touches in the high post to coming off of a pin down with a live dribble. We have also seen Anderson rubbing off of a wedge and receiving the ball on the move.
Through all of the above situations, Anderson has showcased an impressive ability to create an efficient look, either for one of his feathery midrange jumpers, or for his open teammates.
In addition, Anderson has been able to blend in seamlessly within the Spurs offensive system. Abandoning his ball dominant ways, the ball hardly sticks in Anderson’s hands — as he usually catches, surveys, and passes, if the right opportunity is not there.
As a result, during the month of December, he improved his field goal percentage to 49.1 percent and a true shooting percentage of 53.7 percent.
While he, predictably, has trouble finishing at-the-rim on contested drives, he has shown enough progress through the first two months of the season to suggest that he will play a vital role for the Spurs for the foreseeable future.