The Minnesota Timberwolves are 5-5, and the roster has had its ups and downs, especially Kyle Anderson. However, SloMo is healthy again, and it looks like he’s getting on track as the team starts to play better.
Anderson is an eight-year vet who has never been a flashy player. In fact, he’s one of the slowest guys in the NBA. However, SloMo (a nickname he earned in 8th grade AAU) is a glue guy who offers a broad range of skills. He has excellent court vision, a slow but effective pace, and tenacity on the defensive end. Despite what he does well, Anderson is not a guy who’s going to drop double-figures consistently for his team. However, that’s not what Chris Finch is looking for him to do.
Still, Anderson has looked like a shell of himself. He’s put up 2.2 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists on 2/6 (33%) from the floor and 0/2 from three through his first five games in Minnesota. Anderson missed four games in a row, from Oct. 23rd to the 28th. On Oct. 30th, vs. the Spurs, he returned to the lineup. But the Finch placed him on a minutes restriction, so it was tough for SloMo to get on the same page with his teammates. Despite the slow start, Anderson turned back the clocks on Saturday night and exhibited how and where he makes his biggest impact.
Following a tough loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, Minnesota’s third straight, Finch and the Wolves needed a win. Playing the Houston Rockets on back-to-back Saturday, the Wolves took steps in the right direction vs. the Bucks as they showed more of a fight than in previous games. However, Milwaukee showed why they are the only undefeated team left in the NBA, beating the Wolves 115-102.
Less than 24 hours after the game concluded, Gobert was in the league’s health and safety protocols. With Gobert out for Saturday’s game, Finch brought up a couple of names who would fill in for Gobert and start alongside Karl-Anthony Towns.
Finch threw a curveball instead – electing to start Anderson, which ultimately turned out to be the right decision as SloMo was one of the many driving factors to the Wolves dominating the Rockets.
Starting the Game off Slo… But in a Good Way
Below is one of the slowest and-ones I’ve ever witnessed, so much so that the referee crew had to take another look at it before they decided to give him continuation. Anderson takes roughly three seconds to load up his three-point shot, so his ability to take guys like KJ Martin off the bounce and finish strong makes Anderson lethal.
This gritty play below sums up what Anderson can bring to the half-court. Not many guys can hit the deck, still make the pass, then get back up and follow the ball as Anderson did. Well, they could if they had the will and want to that Anderson has always possessed.
Finding His Teammates and Pushing The Pace
Moving the ball without being the primary ball handler is critical when trying to make an impact on a team like the Wolves. So is making the extra pass. Fortunately, those are two things Anderson thrives at. In the clip below, you see a perfectly executed give-and-go, saloon door-type play resulting in a wide-open Edwards finish in the paint.
I wondered if Anderson was too slow for Minnesota’s fast-paced transition offense early in the preseason. However, he has assuaged my concerns in the regular season. Anderson can find his extra gear when operating in the open court.
Anderson at the 5 Works Very Well
Finch was running with a small ball lineup that consisted of Jordan McLaughlin, Edwards, Taurean Prince, Jaden McDaniels, and Anderson through stretches against an equally small Rockets team. The smaller ball lineup worked well with Gobert out. Edwards seemed to benefit the most. He hadn’t dunked the ball entering the game but slammed it twice against Houston. Ant appeared to be much more comfortable without Gobert down low.
However, that doesn’t mean that Edwards will never fit next to Gobert. Ant’s yet to play alongside someone over 6’11”, so meshing with Gobert will come with time. They are both professionals and will make it work eventually.
Anderson filled in for Gobert remarkably well, though. He finished with 16 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals on 6 of 7 (85.7%) from the floor and 2 of 2 from three.
“This was one of the only real complete performances that he’s had just because of minutes restriction or injury,” Finch said about Anderson’s versatility. “It was great to have him out there and see everything he can do, and [Anderson] chucked in a few threes, which was good.”
Finch may not have sounded enthusiastic about Anderson’s performance in the post-game presser. However, the Wolves wouldn’t have beaten down the Rockets as they did without him.
Regardless of the position Anderson is filling, one thing is for certain – he’s going to play his brand of basketball. That may not mean killing teams with his speed off the dribble or draining multiple triples. Instead, he will make teams work on both sides of the ball and never stop doing the little things.
