The Brooklyn Nets have signed Justin Anderson, who will replace David Nwaba on the roster after he was waived following a torn Achilles.
When he was playing for the Virginia Cavaliers, he was teammates for two years with Nets wing Joe Harris and together the two led the team to March Madness and an appearance in the Sweet 16.
The two of them, as well as Brooklyn wing Garrett Temple, work alongside Indiana Pacers star Malcolm Brogdon for The Chris Long Foundation to help bring clean water to communities in East Africa.
Malcolm Brogdon, Justin Anderson, Garrett Temple, Joe Harris and Anthony Tolliver launched "Hoops2o," a program to bring clean water to East African communities. They're raising money for wells and hope to raise $225,000 this season. Love it @JusAnderson1, @GTemp17, @ATolliver44!
— Alex Kennedy (@AlexKennedyNBA) October 29, 2018
While he has since bounced around the league, he has recently shown some prowess and progress on the court.
Before he was picked up by Nets, the former first-round pick put up 21.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in the G League. Anderson was averaging 0.99 points per possession for Raptors 905, per Synergy Sports, which ranks 83rd percentile among all G League players.
The wing has been at his best on isolation opportunities, where he is shooting 9-for-13 (69.2 percent) thus far. Among those in the G League who have had at least ten isolation possessions, only one player (Rayjon Tucker, who was just signed to an NBA roster spot by the Utah Jazz) has been more efficient.
Meanwhile, the 26-year-old could potentially be a solid fit when Brooklyn runs a transition offense. Anderson is currently averaging 1.08 PPP when in transition, which ranks 66th percentile. Just look at what he did against the Long Island Nets, when he assuredly impressed team scouts by putting up 40 points (including this monstrous slam) on December 5.
Last season, he averaged 1.18 PPP (65th percentile) on these looks for the Hawks. He produced 1.36 PPP (91st percentile) in transition during his first season with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2016-17 and 1.50 PPP (98th percentile) as a rookie for the Dallas Mavericks.
This has been a strong suit for Anderson as far back as his collegiate days playing for Virginia. He ranked in the 97th percentile on this play type in his final season in the NCAA.
While he may not be promised much playing time off the jump, he can be an impactful player on the opportunities with his new team.
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