There are performances which are not obvious on the scoresheet and which, however, prove valuable for the team. This is the case of Kyle Anderson Tuesday evening in the victory of the Wolves (105-100) to stay alive.
Certainly, the former Spurs winger finished the match with only 2 small points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 interceptions in 25 minutes of play. But Anderson made himself much more useful by sometimes dictating the Wolves' attack and announcing systems.
Like this action in the last quarter when he indicates to Karl-Anthony Towns to stand behind him in the corner. Then, as Edwards begins his drive toward the basket, Anderson shows his teammate free in the corner while setting a screen to prevent Kyrie Irving's assist. A simple system, with a screen behind the defender's back, but which leads to a 3-pointer and gives the Wolves a 5-point lead.
“Kyle is unique”, says Karl-Anthony Towns at a press conference. “It’s the X factor, it’s like Jaden (McDaniels). I was dribbling and was going to take the shot, then I saw him pointing at the guy behind him. I gave him the ball, and it paid off.”
Here is the action in question. It’s superb, and above all decisive!
Valuable on both ends of the court
But this action is not an isolated case, it is only the symbol of its visible and repeated signs with the two stars. “Kyle made this action happen but he really organized many of our actions, especially on defense so well done to him,” confirms Towns.
Although the Wolves have players capable of dictating the rhythm and the game with Anthony Edwards or Mike Conley, it is part of Kyle Anderson's responsibilities to set up the game. A bit like Boris Diaw in the Suns era or from the Spurs, or from Draymond Green to the Warriors. “It's part of the freedoms we give him to manage the attack, he did some really smart things tonight. In understanding the game and being able to get guys involved,” explains his trainer.
Kyle Anderson also stood out for his very strong defense on Luka Doncic. It's a collective effort, but the Wolves player helped limit the Slovenian to 28 points at 7/21 on shots. Ultimately, Anderson's only problem is that he doesn't bring any external danger. Since the start of the playoffs, he has only taken four shots from distance, and that's problematic when you're an outsider. But his coach doesn't make it a periot.
“He’s really smart, he finds the right spaces, gives the ball to the right people, makes screens, and announces systems. “He's been working well with Rudy (Gobert) since he's been here… We've already talked about it, and we're not really concerned about the spacing issue.” concludes Chris Finch.
