NBA: 10 candidates for a bounce-back season in 2018-19

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10. Ryan Anderson, Phoenix Suns

Ryan Anderson‘s flaws stood out like a sore thumb on a Houston Rockets team that drastically improved its defense to take the next step as legitimate title contenders. Going from the best regular season team in the NBA to the worst (and sixth-best defense to dead-last outfit) should lead to a more important role with the baby Phoenix Suns.

At 30 years old, Anderson’s days as a potential star are done, but his 3-point shooting will be crucial to a Suns squad that ranked 30th in both offensive rating and 3-point percentage last year. In new head coach Igor Kokoskov’s system, he’ll provide breathing room on offense after watching his numbers shrink to 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in 26.1 minutes per game last season.

Phoenix doesn’t have a starting-caliber point guard, its best player is notorious sieve Devin Booker and its defensive anchor is a rookie with plenty of question marks on that end. This young roster isn’t going to sweat the defensive lapses as much as a team like Houston, and because of the veteran experience and floor-spacing he brings to the table, Anderson might surprise some people in 2018-19.