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Washington Wizards: The Impact Of Alan Anderson’s Injury

By Colby Giacubeno

Sep 28, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Alan Anderson (6) poses for a portrait during Wizards media day at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 28, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Alan Anderson (6) poses for a portrait during Wizards media day at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tuesday afternoon, CSN’s J. Michael reported Alan Anderson had undergone a second ankle surgery, his second in a five-month span, on his left ankle to remove a bone fragment. As of now, there is no timetable for when he will be expected to return. For the Washington Wizards’ sake, the sooner he can get back on the court, the better.

Jared Dudley and Anderson were two key acquisitions this offseason to help fill the void at the wing with the loss of Paul Pierce in free agency.

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Anderson has yet to suit up with the Wizards. During training camp, his work was done to the side where he worked with Wizards’ athletic trainers on rehabilitation exercises in hopes he could make a swift return to become a contributor off the bench. Now with yet another setback, the near future doesn’t look promising.

Although he didn’t light up the stat sheet with Brooklyn last season, averaging just 7.4 points per game, Anderson has a knack for scoring all around the court. The Wizards desperately needed help off the bench in the scoring category and they had hoped Anderson could be the answer to their problems.

The seven-year man out of Michigan State is still able to be a veteran presence even thought he is restricted from the practice floor. After day two of training camp, I asked the Wizards’ first-round draft pick, Kelly Oubre Jr., who has helped him most along the way and without hesitation the 19-year-old responded:

"“Alan Anderson. He’s been on the side working his rehab, but he’s been in my ear the most out of everybody, so thank you to the O.G. for helping me get through it.”"

Looking at Anderson’s absence optimistically, it means that Oubre will continue to get more reps in practice. The rookie has struggled somewhat in the two preseason games he has participated in thus far, but extra reps will always help speed along a young player’s development.

Dudley is going to start practicing fully this week for the first time this season. In training camp he went through all non-contact drills, but continued to heal from his back surgery back in July to repair a herniated disk.

With the announcement of Anderson’s upcoming surgery, it puts even more pressure on Dudley to come back and be effective for the sake of the wing players coming off the bench.

The good news for the Wizards is Anderson has already had an impact on the team without stepping on the floor. The Wizards start their season facing playoff teams in 18 of the first 30 games, so depth will be imperative as they approach the halfway mark.

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