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2015 NBA Summer League: Can Justin Anderson Help the Dallas Mavericks Right Now?

By James Fitzgerald

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When Justin Anderson was at Virginia he was a difference maker.

When he went down with his fractured pinky during ACC play there was a gaping hole on the floor for Tony Bennett.

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Not because the team was highly dependent on his offense because Virginia hung their hat on their team defense and finished 30-4 on the year.

But it just seemed like “The Wahoos” fed off Anderson’s energy on the court. When his energy was gone for that short time in February, things just seemed different for UVA.

That energy and intensity is why the Dallas Mavericks decided to draft Justin Anderson with the 21st pick of the 2015 NBA Draft.

Not to mention that Justin Anderson is a pretty good shooter at 6-foot-6, 228 pounds.

Everyone knows that his defense is going to be up to par as soon as he hits the NBA floor. But Anderson did show the ability to knock down open shots on the college level.

He also plays strong around the rim for his size and can use his strength to rebound well from the guard position.

During the Las Vegas Summer League, Anderson averaged 17.5 points 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals in his six games worth of work.

He showed that his on ball defense is going to be solid on the next level and that he is still going to be able to knock down three-pointers on the break and in spot up situations.

He even showed that he can put the ball on the floor occasionally and get to the rim.

Now the question is can Justin Anderson be a difference maker for the Dallas Mavericks sooner rather than later?

When you look at the Dallas Mavericks roster, they are in need of a shooting guard that is not afraid to get up in people defensively.

The shooting guard spot was not a strong suit for the Mavericks at all last season.

They did have undersized Monta Ellis at shooting guard with his 18.9 points per contest, but to say that he was a defensive liability would be putting it mildly. Now Ellis is with the Indiana Pacers.

The fact of the matter is that the Mavericks needed to get bigger and more defensive in the backcourt and in particular the shooting guard position.

Though the Mavericks signed injury prone free agent shooting guard Wesley Matthews to a 4-year/$70 million deal, Matthews is coming off of an Achilles Tendon rupture and might need his minutes limited.

Justin Anderson should be able to easily step in off the bench and give the Mavs some quality minutes.

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    • This has been a tough offseason for the Mavericks who are trying to contend for a playoffs spot while rebuilding for the future all at the same time.

    Being left at the alter by free agent center DeAndre Jordan after he had accepted their proposal, did not help the Mavs’ cause at all this summer.

    But maybe the performance of Justin Anderson could take their mind off of things this season.

    It was not like the Mavericks were going to be a championship contender anyway. So seeing a youngster like Anderson develop can give the franchise and fans hope in the meantime.

    So yes, Justin Anderson can help the Dallas Mavericks right now. Actually given the circumstances they need him desperately for their roster and he should be able to contribute immediately.

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