Since the Spurs drafted James Anderson with the 20th overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, there has been much discussion and debate about how much playing time Anderson will receive from Coach Popovich in his rookie season. Here are three reasons I believe he will get on the court in the NBA more than you may think:
-Positional need: When Anderson was drafted, I felt he projected to be more of a SG than a SF. If I stick by that assessment, here is the Spurs roster as it stands after the departure of Malik Hairston:
PG: Parker/Hill/Temple/Jerrells
SG: (Hill)/Manu/Neal/Anderson
SF: Jefferson/Gee
PF: Duncan/Blair/Bonner
C: McDyess/Splitter
Clearly, the hole is at SF, especially if Gee isn't ready to contribute. While the 2/3 is relatively interchangeable in the Spurs system, and they've been known to go with 3 guard sets in the past, you'd like at least one of those players to be 6'5" or taller, for defensive purposes. Of the 4 SGs listed, Manu and Anderson fit that bill.
This apparent hole has led some to claim that a deal for a veteran SF is in the works. While there is some chance of that, staying pat seems the more likely scenario. The Spurs are right up against the luxury tax (depending on how numbers shake out or what deals are done later in the year, they can either stick with these 14 or cut one to drop the roster to 13), and given the effort they took to restructure Jefferson's contract, it would seem they want to stay under the tax. Signing a vet to a minimum contract at this point would cost them at least $3-5 million.
-Skill set: Perhaps more importantly for Anderson, his skill set fits very well with what the Spurs would want him to do. (This shouldn't be a surprise, considering they drafted him among the many options still on the board.) He is an excellent shooter, and should get more open looks than he did in college simply by standing in the corner. He is a skilled and experienced pick and roll player, something the Spurs would be wise to utilize. While he doesn't create well in isolation, he does well off of these picks, and is able to finish at the rim, get to the free throw line, and convert once he gets there. He is a highly efficient scorer, in fact one of the most efficient in the entire draft, so he will likely be able to put points on the board without taking away a significant number of shots from the starters. His ball handling is sub-par, but with practically any lineup he'll be on the court with, he would be the 3rd or 4th ball handling option at best.
The big question mark with Anderson is his defense. He's been described as decent to poor individual defender, and a decent to good team defender. This deficiency is the one thing that could keep him off the court. However, he certainly has the physical tools to improve in this area, though adding a few pounds in the weight room would certainly help. Many scouts wondered whether part of his problem on defense was the large load he was expected to shoulder on the offensive end at Oklahoma State. With the energy expended on offense, as well as the desire to stay out of foul trouble, perhaps some of Anderson’s struggles had more to do with the situation than the player. If this was even partly true, combined with coaching from the Spurs staff on strategies and fundamentals, Anderson should become a passable defender through the year, which would be enough to get him on the court for role player type minutes.
-History: There has been a long standing myth that Pop doesn’t play rookies. While some rookies have seen their minutes decrease in the playoffs, the regular season has been a different story. Since 2001, there have been 4 players that the Spurs drafted in the first or early second round, and then made the team out of training camp the immediately following season: Tony Parker, Beno Udrih, George Hill, and DeJuan Blair. Here are those players minutes per game in their rookie seasons:
Tony Parker: 29:23
Beno Udrih: 14:24
George Hill: 16:30
DeJuan Blair: 18:11
This is perhaps the most important indicator for Anderson. Every time the Spurs have drafted a significant rookie, they have gotten playing time in their first season. (It is worth noting that, at the 20th overall pick, Anderson is the the highest picked of all these players.) Pop has plugged these players primarily into key backup roles, with George Hill being the primary backup PG, and Blair being a primary backup big man.
For all the reasons above, I believe James Anderson will see relatively consistent minutes in his rookie season. The Spurs “hole” at the swingman position looks a lot less like a hole if you plug in Anderson as a primary backup 2/3 for 12-18 minutes per game.
Good read. No doubt in my mind Anderson can play some at the 3 position but the big question mark is how can he defend the opposing 3's. I never thought Hairston was the answer to be the primary backup wing and I'm not so sure Anderson is either. Anderson and Hairston are about the same build.
Nice breakdown as usual, timvp.
was that a typo, or on purpose? are they the same guy?
I'm not sure whether I should take offense or be flattered.Nice breakdown as usual, timvp.
Good post like usual, lurker23
Coach Pop mentioned in an interview during the summer league that they've been aiming to get younger and athletic which further fits the bill for Anderson having substantial minutes. Its also great that he's far from a stranger when it comes to pick and roll basketball.
Last edited by Cane; 07-30-2010 at 02:41 PM.
I agree that Anderson will see relatively consistent minutes in his rookie season.
But you're forgetting one thing about the "hole" at the swingman position. The "hole" isn't predicated on a lack of depth; it's predicated on a lack of experience and most notably, a lack of an above average man defender.
They don't have anyone to play the stopper role in their projected nine man rotation. As it stands right now, by default Jefferson and Hill will probably take on this role.
Great analysis. I think we've all pretty much agreed that Tiago will be the biggest difference maker amongst the newcomers this year, but I think Anderson will be a pleasant surprise.
Jefferson is a better defender than what he gets credit for around here IMO, I saw nothing but improvement as the season went on, but saying that we still definitely need a capable backup who can play solid defense and knock down the 3 ball. Anderson might be able to fill that role hopefully.
I think anything that Anderson contributes as a rookie should be viewed as a positive and if he gets decent minutes, that should affirm that Pop has not totally lost his mind.
I'm sure you know how to take it.I'm not sure whether I should take offense or be flattered.
Back to the topic: Spurs only have 4 vet perimeter players (Parker, Hill, Ginobili and Jefferson). Other perimeter players (Neal, Tmeple, Jerrels, Gee and Anderson) are unproven. It's a given that at least 1 or 2 of these players will get consistent playing time. Spurs seemed really happy to have drafted Anderson and considered him as a lottery pick who slip during the draft process because of an hammy injury. He could be the one that will emerge among these young players.
I wish we could have seen some of Anderson during the SL. It just remains a big question mark. I guess well see what he can bring once the pre-season starts.
I hope Pop doesn't put JA at SF, he's too small. I hate it when Pop does that , we all saw what happened when he tried to make RMJ a PG...
I think JA is gonna be a beast this season if he stays at SG though.
Bruno, I had an unrelated question for you on another thread:
What are the rules regarding an agent/player negotiating with a European team while said player is currently under contract with an NBA team?
http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/show...159886&page=14
The Euro team can talk as much as they want with the player and/or the agent. There are no tampering rules in Europe.
Not the same guy. However, we've never been seen at the same place at the same time, so you never know.
How else would he get consistent playing time? The vast majority of the SG minutes are going to go to Ginobili and Hill.
This is why, despite this team's talent, their pieces just don't quite fit. Amongst their top nine, they have no one to play the stopper role, they're likely to start with a small backcourt and (probably a good amount of the time) close a lot of games with three guards and they have no true backup SF.
Thanks.
Props nice read, I think anderson can contribute im still up in the air about gee ive never really seen him play. 1 question for yall that have seen gee play, is he d better than malik's d?. It would be great if anderson,neal, & bonner are on the floor at the same time knocking down 3's
Aw, man. I thought you left.
monday im gone for sure until the start of the season, knamean
It's A LOT easier for a 2 to play some minutes at the 3 than to play some minutes at the point.
All-in-all, unless we can get a legitimate proven SF off the trash heap or via trade, I'd rather go with 3 guards who can actually play on the second unit.
I do knaumean. I actually, surprisingly understood that. Why Monday?
Im trying to see if we sign someone else.. but it moght be today idk
I agree that, one way or another, the Spurs have to get better defensively. At this point, I think the most likely way of that happening is via individual improvements and a re-commitment to team oriented defense. On the whole, I think the addition of Splitter will help this.
As far as the wings go, I'm beginning to wonder if the role of "stopper" is one that should have left with Bruce Bowen. In the last two years, the Spurs have given plenty of minutes to Ime Udoka and Keith Bogans with the idea of them being defensive role players, but have had fairly little success. If you have the right personnel, like the Spurs did with Bowen, then it's a role that can play great dividends. If you don't have the right player(s), then it can jam up your entire rotation system. I don't see that player in the Spurs pipeline or on the free agent market. If the Spurs truly want a defensive stopper good enough to lean on, they'll probably have to obtain him via trade.
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