Kyle Anderson stands out at Celtics workout

[NorthernLightning]

He doesn't need to dribble the ball up the court to be a great player.

Never bet against skill + size + brains. The DLeague is is full of low iq jumping jacks with mediocre skill.

Especially in the half court game, skill and IQ are way more important than athleticism, especially when that skill and IQ come with great size.

Worst case scenario Anderson will be a perennial 6th man of the year candidate as a triple double threat off the bench. The kind of guy that can run the second unit and make it score as well as the starting 5, as a combo forward who also tends to find himself in the game with the starters for the final stretch, giving the team whatever it needs to win.

[hwangjini_1]

He doesn't need to dribble the ball up the court to be a great player.

Never bet against skill + size + brains. The DLeague is is full of low iq jumping jacks with mediocre skill.

Especially in the half court game, skill and IQ are way more important than athleticism, especially when that skill and IQ come with great size.

Worst case scenario Anderson will be a perennial 6th man of the year candidate as a triple double threat off the bench. The kind of guy that can run the second unit and make it score as well as the starting 5, as a combo forward who also tends to find himself in the game with the starters for the final stretch, giving the team whatever it needs to win.

I do believe that this thread has now officially become surreal. I hope we can resurrect this thread a year from now so we can reflect on the greatness that will be Anderson.

[colincb]

Scares the heck out of me defensively more than any one in the 1st round.  DraftExpress tapes are horrible.  He's intriguing offensively, but there are going to be better options available at 17 who don't have as much downside potential (Warren, Nurkic, etc.) I'd take a flyer on him if we were drafting in the mid to late 20s.

Along with Gordon and LaVine, he's one of the most controversial players in the draft according to the pundits feedback from NBA execs. But unlike the other two, in his case it's hisa defense. Not a matter of what position he can guard, but whether there's any position he can guard.

Only takes one GM to love him, but I hope it's not Danny unless he's buying one of the Sixers 2nd rounders.

[byennie]

I think this is the kind of prospect where workouts and interviews mean everything. I know everyone wants to focus on how high guys jump at the combine, but if you are considering drafting Anderson you need to figure out - is he crafty enough to guard NBA athletes? Does he have the work ethic to improve physically? What kind of system could he thrive in?

Best case scenario, I think, is that he has some athletic upside left and that he can be very good *in the right system*. If you are the team that can make him great, he could be a bargain. But buyer beware if you haven't figured out how exactly that's gonna work.

[kozlodoev]

Worst case scenario Anderson will be a perennial 6th man of the year candidate as a triple double threat off the bench.

This is really funny.

[NorthernLightning]

I do believe that this thread has now officially become surreal. I hope we can resurrect this thread a year from now so we can reflect on the greatness that will be Anderson.

I slept on Draymond Green two years ago, who dropped way down in the draft because of questions about athleticism. He's been a great 6th man for Golden State, and even moved into their starting lineup in the playoffs over David Lee, I believe.

I didn't sleep on Olynyk last year, and was thrilled when the Celtics got him. NBA GMs knew they underestimated KO's ability to impact the NBA game as soon as they saw him in summer league, which is why these NBA GMs voted him as the most likely to be the steal of that draft.

Just about every year there's one or two extremely accomplished NBA prospects that get slept on and greatly outperform their draft position, because they have size, skill, and IQ, and at the end of the day those things translate when combined.

Look at Sully two years ago.

I'm not going to be the guy who sleeps on the 6'9" point forward with the slow deliberate game. Worst comes to worst he just defends PFs at a decent enough level in 2 years at 240-245. There's no big mystery there about being able to translate defensively.

[NorthernLightning]

Worst case scenario Anderson will be a perennial 6th man of the year candidate as a triple double threat off the bench.

This is really funny.

Laugh it up, he was only the closest college player to averaging a triple double in the NCAA last year as a 19-20 year old. But don't let that stop you from being dumbfounded in the future.

[Evantime34]

Never bet against skill + size + brains. The DLeague is is full of low iq jumping jacks with mediocre skill.

and B league foreign basketball is full of guys with good skill but not enough athleticism to play in the NBA.

I think Anderson will be a roll play in the NBA but his inability to guard anyone one on one will be prove troublesome.

[byennie]

Worst case scenario Anderson will be a perennial 6th man of the year candidate as a triple double threat off the bench.

This is really funny.

Laugh it up, he was only the closest college player to averaging a triple double in the NCAA last year as a 19-20 year old. But don't let that stop you from being dumbfounded in the future.

I think the "worst case scenario" is what sent people reeling. I hope he pans out as an interesting and unique player too. But the WORST case scenario is out of the league, which is why he's not going to be a lottery pick. Let's hope we take him and it becomes a best case scenario.

[NorthernLightning]

With a nearly 9' standing reach, and a proven talent for rebounding at a high level, and a body that is already 230-235 pounds, why would anybody doubt his ability to guard the PF position at least in 2 years? He has a high IQ, good hands for steals, is a decent help defender, and can be solid at defending shots by his man and as a help defender.

And his quickness is underrated because he doesn't play like a spaz. At PF, his quickness will be average at worst, and his offense will thrive against PFs because they are slower than SFs.

You guys convince yourselves that the league is full of Lebrons, but it's not.

It's absurd to think that Anderson could be out of the league in a couple years. He could be as good as Jabari Parker and no worse a defender. Probably a better defender.

[Celtics4ever]

Never bet against skill + size + brains. The DLeague is is full of low iq jumping jacks with mediocre skill.

+1

I would not mind him at 17.   Not at #6.

[kozlodoev]

Worst case scenario Anderson will be a perennial 6th man of the year candidate as a triple double threat off the bench.

This is really funny.

Laugh it up, he was only the closest college player to averaging a triple double in the NCAA last year as a 19-20 year old. But don't let that stop you from being dumbfounded in the future.

Who's the last guy you remember who was a "triple double threat" off the bench in the NBA? Yeah, I thought so.

[Donoghus]

Worst case scenario Anderson will be a perennial 6th man of the year candidate as a triple double threat off the bench.

This is really funny.

Laugh it up, he was only the closest college player to averaging a triple double in the NCAA last year as a 19-20 year old. But don't let that stop you from being dumbfounded in the future.

I think the "worst case scenario" is what sent people reeling. I hope he pans out as an interesting and unique player too. But the WORST case scenario is out of the league, which is why he's not going to be a lottery pick. Let's hope we take him and it becomes a best case scenario.

Agreed.  That's what got me.  If a guy's worst case scenario is a perennial 6th man of the year candidate, then he should be going top three in the draft not projected in the middle to later half of the first round.

I might take a flyer on him at #17.

[NorthernLightning]

The 15 NBA Players with Triple Doubles Off The Bench (Since 1985) http://www.interbasket.net/news/13735/2014/02/nba-players-bench-triple-doubles/

[kozlodoev]

Worst case scenario Anderson will be a perennial 6th man of the year candidate as a triple double threat off the bench.

This is really funny.

Laugh it up, he was only the closest college player to averaging a triple double in the NCAA last year as a 19-20 year old. But don't let that stop you from being dumbfounded in the future.

I think the "worst case scenario" is what sent people reeling. I hope he pans out as an interesting and unique player too. But the WORST case scenario is out of the league, which is why he's not going to be a lottery pick. Let's hope we take him and it becomes a best case scenario.

Agreed.  That's what got me.  If a guy's worst case scenario is a perennial 6th man of the year candidate, then he should be going top three in the draft not projected in the middle to later half of the first round.

I might take a flyer on him at #17.

It's actually the "triple double threat off the bench" -- a statement that stipulates simultaneously that the player is not good enough to be a starter, and good enough to contribute triple doubles on a regular basis. It doesn't really work this way.