Phoenix Suns: 3 goals for Ryan Anderson in 2018-19
By Luke Swiatek
1. Shoot at least 39 percent from deep on high volume
Ryan Anderson will almost certainly shoot a good percentage from deep, as only he’s only dipped below 36 percent in one of his 10 seasons. However, it’s really the volume that matters for him.
Anderson’s role on offense can be broken down into three tasks: shoot 3s, shoot 3s and then shoot more 3s. That’s his job. It’s about as straightforward as possible.
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With that being said, it must be his primary goal to shoot those 3s efficiently, since that’s pretty much all the value he brings as a player. He shot an average of 39.6 percent from deep in his two years on the Houston Rockets, so it’s not crazy to expect him to have similar efficiency in the same role in Phoenix.
Anderson’s volume is the thing to watch for. In Houston, he shot 7.9 3s per 36 minutes. For context, the only Suns players in that neighborhood (out of players who played at least 250 minutes for the team) were Troy Daniels and Devin Booker at 10.2 and 7.4 3s per 36, respectively.
Looking at his percent of field goal attempts is equally enlightening. In Houston, 67.4 percent of Ryan Anderson’s field goal attempts were 3s, good for more than two-thirds of his shots. The only close players on the Suns were Daniels and Dragan Bender, at 79.7 and 66.5 percent, respectively.
Anderson’s role should be equally one-dimensional in Phoenix. He needs to knock down the 3s he gets, but just by being on the floor and taking a lot, he’ll open up the floor for the rest of the team in a way players like Josh Jackson simply can’t.
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The further out Anderson can hit his 3s from, the better that effect becomes. Viewing tracking data from NBA.com, it’s notable that 3.8 of Anderson’s 5.1 3s per game come from more than 25 feet away. If Anderson shoots often, deep and with good efficiency, he’ll be a real benefit to the Suns’ offense.