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Report: Virginia’s Justin Anderson leaning toward the NBA Draft

By Nathaniel Reeves

Feb 2, 2015; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Justin Anderson (1) on the court in the second half. The Cavaliers defeated the Tar Heels 75-64 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 2, 2015; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers guard Justin Anderson (1) on the court in the second half. The Cavaliers defeated the Tar Heels 75-64 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Virginia Cavaliers star is strongly considering making the leap to the next level after a strong junior season.

Virginia Cavaliers junior forward Justin Anderson is leaning towards foregoing his senior season and entering the 2015 NBA Draft, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

As Wojnarowski notes, Anderson hasn’t confirmed anything yet, but a formal announcement is expected soon. An official declaration shouldn’t come as a surprise, as NBA teams have been eyeing Anderson all season long.

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Anderson enjoyed a fantastic junior season at Virginia, ranking second on the team with 12.3 points per game in the regular season before missing the final month of the regular season with a broken finger and emergency appendectomy. Virginia was one of the best teams in the nation with Anderson on the floor, but his absence led to an offensive funk that the Cavaliers were never really able to recover from.

If Anderson was healthy the entire season, his draft stock would have been higher, so another season could have helped him in that regard. Still, Anderson has limitations that would probably keep him out of the lottery anyway, and it’s hard to blame a player who is just about guaranteed to be a first round pick for leaving early.

What makes Anderson interesting at the next level is his outstanding athleticism. At 6-6 222 pounds with a wingspan nearing seven feet and explosive leaping ability, Anderson could present matchup problems as a small forward.

That athleticism helped Anderson become a worthy contributor on the defensive end on a unit that was one of the best in the country. Anderson has the versatility to guard multiple positions and his defense looks ready for the NBA already.

It’s on the other end where Anderson needs to improve a bit, as he was inconsistent throughout his college career. Anderson is not a particularly good ball handler, and should be able to be a bit more of a creative finisher at the rim given his physical skills.

An encouraging sign is Anderson’s ever-increasing shooting percentage, including a mark of 45.2 percent from beyond the arc, well up from 29.2 percent his sophomore season. If Anderson can prove that number isn’t a one-year fluke, his ceiling becomes substantially higher.

Anderson does a lot of things well but noting at an elite level, meaning he projects more as a strong rotational player  rather than a star ready to contribute right away. Expect him to come off the board somewhere in the 20-30 range.

Losing arguably its best player knocks Virginia down a couple of pegs in terms of being a national title contender, but the Cavaliers should be just fine and will still enter the season as ACC favorites alongside North Carolina. Tony Bennett’s system clearly works, and Virginia returns everyone but Anderson and senior forward Darion Atkins, leaving a good mix of experience and young talent.

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