Re-Drafting the 2014 NBA Draft

Kyle Anderson. 23. player. 118. <p><strong>Original pick: Rodney Hood</strong></p> <p>At the outset, let me say that I have always been a huge fan of Kyle Anderson. The 6-foot-9 forward has extraordinary vision and guard-like skills and, given his size, that seems like a very attractive package. Unfortunately, it has not manifested in a positive way to this point and there is a glaring issue with Anderson’s game.</p> <p>He is <em>so</em> slow.</p> <p>Anderson’s nickname is “Slo-Mo”, so it isn’t as if this comes as a shock, but his lack of foot speed is a real issue, namely on the defensive end. Anderson effectively has to guard power forwards because of the nature of his athleticism, but he isn’t quite physical enough to do so, and as a rebounder, there have been some struggles.</p> <p>On offense, Anderson is the type of player that could be a real asset, especially if he can continue to improve on a 32% three-point mark in his second season. Still, it is a lot to ask of an NBA team to build things around Anderson’s shortcomings and there is some level of fear that Anderson has to be in the absolute perfect situation in order to succeed.</p> <p>In this situation, he lands with a capable coach in Quin Snyder but if Gregg Popovich hasn’t been able to figure it out…</p>. SF/PF. UCLA