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Dallas Mavericks: Justin Anderson Could Be A Steal

By Cole Mentzel

Jan 7, 2015; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Justin Anderson (1) celebrates with teammates on the bench during the second half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers won 61-51. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 7, 2015; Charlottesville, VA, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Justin Anderson (1) celebrates with teammates on the bench during the second half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at John Paul Jones Arena. The Cavaliers won 61-51. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports /
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Since Mark Cuban jumped into the Dallas Mavericks organization in 2000, the Mavs have not been known as players in the draft. Between trading away their rookies or trading away their picks, the Mavs have never really made a big splash. Josh Howard was the closest thing to a success but he eventually fell out of the NBA and has never really been back in it.

However, all of the Mavs draft woes could change this season with their newest addition: Justin Anderson.

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Anderson was the 21st pick by the Mavs in the 2015 NBA Draft and he is set to have a good role with the team since they are low on shooting guards and small forwards. Many fans were not sure what to think because Justin Anderson was not projected as the best player on the board at the time.

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A lot of insiders thought the Mavs would go with a little more scoring or even trade their pick away but they didn’t and that could end up paying off. Justin Anderson looks like he could end up being a steal.

During his time in college with Virginia (three years), Anderson was very consistent and always had well-rounded stats. His points per game average increased each season and in all of his years he averaged roughly three rebounds and two assists per game. All of these skills are necessary for basketball and made him better but the intriguing part of his game was his defense.

Virginia was always known for its defense and last season, they had the best scoring defense in all of college basketball. They held opponents to 51.4 points per game which, in return, led to the total amount of opponent points scored against them being 200 points less than San Diego State, which had the second-best defense.

Though Anderson battled injury last season, he was a key part of the defensive excellence in Virginia. At 6’6″ and 225 pounds, his official NBA position will probably be small forward but that says nothing about what he can do on the defensive end of the court.

At Virginia, he was known as a player that could guard multiple positions and with some work, he can definitely achieve that in the NBA. His body will allow him to defend just about any player on the court except for a center and maybe a taller power forward.

The Mavs got their first taste of Justin Anderson during Summer League play in July. He was the second most productive player on the floor, behind Dwight Powell. His averages of 17.5 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game and 1.2 steals per game gave him a unique edge that worked with his defense.

He shot the ball well on so many occasions and really only had one bad game in the six games the Mavs played during the summer.

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    • His only issue was forcing his shots too much, which is something every rookie struggles with. Anderson is very fit and his size allowed him to match up well with multiple positions, backing up the point I made above. Even though all of this happened in the summer league, it was still a promising sign for the Mavs.

    Though the Mavs have not been a solid defensive team in recent years, they have a great coaching staff that can help Anderson develop into the player he needs to become.

    If the Summer League is any kind of sign for what is to come, Anderson will have a good career in Dallas and the Mavs might pull a player out of the draft that they are able to work with and keep on their roster for more than a year.

    As for his role in Dallas, Anderson will likely get most of his minutes backing up Chandler Parsons at small forward. As soon as Richard Jefferson left Dallas for Cleveland, the spot opened for Anderson to get a few more minutes. He will have plenty of veterans in the organization to help him mold his game into something great.

    His NBA game still remains to be seen, but at the moment he looks like he has a very promising future. Justin Anderson has a great opportunity to break out with a great franchise and that’s something to be excited about for 2015-16.

    Below, you can see all of Justin Anderson’s highlights from the Summer League:

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