Justin Anderson to shine for Virginia Cavaliers basketball
Last season the Virginia Cavaliers had one of the best seasons in their school’s history.
They posted a record of 30-7 including going 16-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Cavaliers also capped off their conference season ending up with the ACC Conference Championship (regular season, and tournament).
This season the Cavaliers will continue to have success. Returning most of their starters from last year, they are looking ahead to continue their ACC dominance.
One of the players that is going to help sustain their success within the conference is shooting guard Justin Anderson.
Used minimally in his first two seasons at Virginia, Anderson made the most of his minutes and made an impact during games. Now he finds himself thrusted into the limelight playing with the starting lineup. Registering 21.5 minutes a game last year, we saw flashes of his talent. Anderson’s numbers across the board are going to increase this season.
With the departure of Joe Harris (now with the Cleveland Cavaliers) Anderson has big shoes to fill.
Thankfully he has more than enough talent to do just that. One of the biggest reasons the Cavaliers will not lose a step with their team is because of the defense that Anderson plays. At 6-foot-6, 230 pounds and a 6-foot-11 wingspan, Anderson has versatility to guard three positions on the basketball court.
Last year Anderson found himself guarding opponents on the block and wing players on the perimeter. His lateral and linear quickness allows him to do this. Also, Anderson’s ability to rebound also helps keeps possessions away from his opponents.
Right now Anderson is projected as a late second round draft choice. But by the end of the next college basketball season he can improve his draft stock and become an early second round pick or a late first round pick.
One of the best attributes that Anderson has though is his humility.
His freshman year he started 17 games, and his sophomore year he started five games.
Though he lost his starting position, it ultimately helped Virginia translate into becoming a more successful program. There was no quarrels or terrible feelings between Anderson and Virginia and on the court it showed. His team was together and they had chemistry that gave them great cohesion.
For his efforts last year Anderson received the ACC Sixth Man of the Year award.
Next season to continue to develop and improve into a better player, Anderson has to shoot more efficiently.
He averaged 7.8 points a game, and went to the free throw line 2.6 times a game. The part that is insane is that 43 percent of his shots last year were from the three-point line where he was a terrible 29 percent.
Anderson only shot the basketball 30.5 percent of the time at the rim, which is his strongest attribute because of his strong physique.
The reason Anderson shot the basketball more from the three-point line than inside of the lane is because he doesn’t have great ball handling ability. If he can clean up his handle and get a better control of the basketball, it will significantly increase his scoring ability.
Anderson next year has to play to his strengths and stay away from the jump shots while getting closer to the rim. When he does attack the lane he shoots 56.9 percent which is incredible for a shooting guard.
Next season the Cavaliers will rely heavy on Anderson to take the next step in his game if they want to find themselves in a long NCAA Tournament run.
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