A five-point plan for revitalizing the importance of Ryan Anderson

Ryan Anderson is multi-dimensional. Unfortunately for him, the most prevalent dimensions right now are his albatross $21 million salary and his less than effective defense. Anderson is still an incredibly effective 3-point shooter (38.6 percent last year), he’s still 6-foot-10 and still an effective post scorer against mismatches (95th percentile in PPP last season). He also played just 26.1 minutes per game last season (his lowest since 2010-11) and essentially disappeared from the rotation entirely once the playoffs started because of his defense. Anderson’s salary was also likely a factor in the Rockets inability to hang onto Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah A Moute in free agency, or replace them with another similarly defensive-minded big wing.

The Rockets have reportedly been shopping Anderson this summer in the hopes for landing more defensive help on the wing, not the first time he’s been featured in trade rumors since arriving in Houston. However, the degree to which he’s become irrelevant for the Rockets is not necessarily the best indicator of his true value.

Value comes from both a player’s skills and abilities, and the context around them. With a few changes, I think we can adapt the context and revitalize the importance of Anderson. Here is my five-point plan to pull it off.

1. Lower the stakes

Anderson’s defense is legitimately problematic. His minus-1.96 Defensive Real Plus-Minus last season was one of the worst marks among power forwards, hovering near Frank Kaminsky territory. He doesn’t have the footspeed or agility to hang in switch heavy schemes, one of the reasons he only appeared in five of the Western Conference Finals games against the Warriors, totaling 24 minutes in the series.

But his problematic defense is exacerbated by that specific matchup. Everything the Rockets are doing is geared towards beating the Warriors, specifically with a dynamic switching defense. That’s Houston’s ultimate goal and, as we saw last season, there is just no margin for error in that series. So…let’s put Anderson in a context where beating the Warriors isn’t the endgame.

Send Anderson to the Brooklyn Nets for something like DeMarre Carroll and Jared Dudley. Houston gets some defensive forwards. Anderson gets to slide into the starting lineup for a team just fighting to make the playoffs. Here, his shooting is all added value. He makes the Nets better everyone’s happy.

2. Wing men

Anderson’s game needs to be complemented — by a big who can defend in space and protect the rim, and by wings who can help fight through screens and mitigate some of his defensive shortcomings. Anderson can offer his incredible floor spacing as means of compensation. The Rockets actually offer a perfect mix of personnel to surround Anderson but, as mentioned above, they don’t seem willing to stomach the inherent risk that comes with. Jarrett Allen and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson would be nice. Maybe put him in between Porzingis and Ntilikina? Somewhere out there is a budding young dynamic duo waiting for their smiling, unassuming third-wheel.

3. Hot yoga

The hottest fad in NBA player development seems to be non-traditional training methods. Anderson will be 30 by the time the season starts but it’s never too late to upgrade your temple. Myles Turner is doing amazing things with hot yoga this summer. Maybe learning to do handstands in 98 degree heat is just what Anderson needs to add a little more balance and quickness to his defense in space.

3. A better nickname

Anderson’s value could also be increased by connecting him more with fans, helping with engagement and ticket sales. Fans love a hot nickname and, according to his Basketball-Reference page, Anderson is currently without one. He’s often referred to as Ryno but that nickname has been around for awhile and it conjures images of lumbering, plodding behemoth — not exactly the aesthetic we’re going for. Here are a few ideas:

• Ry-An (a play on his first and last name)
• Ry-guy (everyone likes a rhyme)
• The Hot yogi (see above)
• Dapper Danderson (he looks like a Dapper Dan man)
• Flyin’ Ryan

5. Add the 5-point line

Appropriately, we’re finishing the five-point plan with a 5-pointer. Anderson’s best skill is his shooting, so let’s help him leverage it even more by adding a 5-point line at 30 feet from the basket. He has made 10 of 43 shots from beyond 30 feet in his career. That may not sound like a great percentage but if we make those shots worth five points we get an expected value of 1.16 points per shot, about the same as his career 38.3 3-point percentage. All the extra space he’d add for his teammates by forcing defenders to cover him out that far would only make his team tougher to guard.

Boom. Ryan Anderson, valuable commodity.