NBA: 10 relative unknowns entering defining seasons in 2017-18

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8. Kyle Anderson

Not too long ago, Kyle Anderson was almost universally pegged as the steal of the 2014 NBA Draft. The San Antonio Spurs have done it again! everyone thought. At the time, it made sense. Anderson was a long, 6’9″ wing with a high basketball IQ and the skills of a point guard.

Unfortunately, Slo Mo has been completely unable to prove himself to Gregg Popovich three seasons into his NBA career. On a highly vaunted bench unit, he’s never cracked more than 16 minutes per game in a season, and last year his numbers regressed to 3.4 points and 2.9 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game.

Though Anderson shot 44.5 percent from the field and a career-high 37.5 percent from 3-point range, he only attempted 40 shots from deep and has been largely unable to turn eye-opening NBA Summer League performances into meaningful minutes at the next level.

Anderson will be a restricted free agent after this season and has not looked NBA-ready for a 24-year-old. If he’s unable to overcome his lack of athleticism and work his way into Pop’s rotation, it may be time to admit the Spurs are not infallible drafters at the end of first round after all.