Kyle Anderson is projected to be a late first round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft and could be a target for the Pelicans. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
With news that the Pelicans are looking to trade into the NBA Draft coming this weekend to grab a small forward or center plenty of questions have been raised about the plan of the front office. Out of all of them though the most important seems to be which player, or players, have caught the eye of the front office enough to cause them to try to work themselves back into a pick. Instead of trying to guess exactly the player, Pelican Debrief has decided to just break down 18 small forwards and centers leading up to draft day (two reports will be posted daily) so that Pelicans fans will be ready no matter where or when the team trades into the draft and selects a player.
Kyle Anderson enters the 2014 Draft as one of the most versatile players the league will have seen in quite some time. Anderson, who will be 21 when the NBA season starts back up, just finished up his second season at UCLA, where he amazed scouts yet again with his amazing versatility on both ends of the floor.
The Basics:
Age: 20
College: UCLA
Height: 6’8.5″
Weight: 230
Wingspan: 7’2.75″
Standing Reach: 8’11.5″
Max Vertical: N/A
Stats: 36 games, 33.2 mpg, 14.6 ppg, 48 FG%, 48.3 3PT%, 73.7 FT%, 8.8 rpg, 6.5 apg, 1.8 spg, .8bpg
Draft Projections: Anderson is currently being projected as a late first round draft selection.
Strengths:
Perhaps Anderson’s best strength is the mismatches that will create for his team. In college, Anderson lined up at point guard frequently and used his 6’9″ frame to see the floor with incredible clarity. To go along with the offensive mismatch the he provides, he is also incredibly versatile on the defensive end of the floor, where shows potential to be able to defend four different positions on the floor.
Anderson’s other glaring strength coming into the draft is his ability to pass the ball. As mentioned above, Anderson’s height and size give him a nice advantage when trying to find the open man on the court. Anderson’s passing has been shaped by the fact that he has always played point guard. What we get when we combine Anderson’s experience with the ball, natural passing talent, and size is a truly special passer, who could come into the league and show off this skill fairly early and easily.
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Weaknesses:
Mentioned multiple times above, Anderson’s size would lead one to believe he may possess a plus on the defensive end of the floor but there are things on that end of the floor that could use improvement. Anderson lacks side to side quickness, preventing him from defending to his full potential. At the moment his incredible wingspan of 7’2.5″ helps shadow this weakness in his game but it is inevitable that when challenged by much better talent in the NBA, he won’t be able to get away with some of the antics that helped him rack up nearly two steals per game during his sophomore season at UCLA.
There is one big question surrounding Anderson though. Will he be willing to change how he plays when he enters the league? It remains unclear exactly what position Anderson will be in the pros, with some seeing him still as a point guard and others seeing him as more of a point forward. With all of the benefits that Anderson could potentially provide, he has essentially been a point guard throughout high school and college and the ability of him to succeed without handling the ball as much seems to be raising red flags among NBA front offices who would more than likely hope for Anderson to make a change to his game, and play a bit more of a traditional small forward where his body fits best.
Projected Role: Your guess is as good as mine is. This will ultimately depend a lot on the team that drafts him.
Measurements for Kyle Anderson were found at DraftExpress.com. To read more about Anderson and watch his DX scouting report video, you can go here.