A sensation was sweeping the nation last season. Slomosexuals were running around Target Center, horned up and ready to watch Kyle Anderson dominate opposing teams while stuck in first gear. After all the hype and hate surrounding the Rudy Gobert addition in the summer of 2022, Anderson emerged as the biggest contributor in his first year in Minnesota. SlowMo had a career year helping the Minnesota Timberwolves to a second straight playoff berth for the first time in nearly two decades. He averaged 9.4 points per game, 5.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, a steal, and a block while shooting a career-high 41 percent from three.
Anderson doesn’t possess a flashy game, but he was the maestro of Minnesota’s offense and defense and quickly became one of the most popular players in Timberwolves history. He’s a true basketball player’s basketball player. Fans went nuts any time Anderson loaded up his patented slow-as-hell corner three or made the perfect pass in seemingly any situation.
But the magic is dimming this season. The Timberwolves are flying, off to the best start in franchise history, and sitting atop the Western Conference standings at 20-6. Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Gobert are all playing at an All-Star level, and Gobert is the odds-on favorite to win his fourth DPOY trophy. Naz Reid is a candidate for Sixth Man of the Year. Jaden McDaniels is back from injury to traumatize opponents. And Mike Conley is hitting every big three in crunch time that the Wolves need. Everyone is having some kind of resurgence or the best season of their career, except for Kyle Anderson.
The 30-year-old is still orchestrating the offense and defense off the bench, but whatever shooting touch he found last year in his late 20s is gone and may never return. Twenty-six games is too far into a season to use raw numbers instead of percentages for a guy who plays 23 minutes a game, but Anderson has made two of his 19 three-pointers this season. For those who can’t do quick math, that’s just over 10 percent, which is not good. All the exuberance and confidence SlowMo had last season is gone. He’s constantly second-guessing himself on whether he should let it fly, leading to bad decisions on offense.
His status as a non-shooter is affecting Minnesota’s offense, and it was no more evident than during Minnesota’s 127-113 loss to Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Whenever Anderson was on the court, Philadelphia’s defenders sagged off him, knowing he either wouldn’t shoot or wouldn’t make a shot. They packed the paint or sent help to more dangerous offensive players, giving Joel Embiid room to roam the paint and use his 7’0”, 280 lbs. body for evil. Anderson was a minus-10 in only 12 minutes against the 76ers, and the Wolves are eight points per 100 possessions better with Anderson off the court than when he’s on it.
Anderson’s numbers are down across the board. He’s averaging 6.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game on a 46/10/68 shooting split. While he’s struggling, he still plays an important role on the first-place Timberwolves. With Shake Milton scuffling even more than Anderson and Jordan McLaughlin’s early season injury, Anderson has served as Minnesota’s de facto backup point guard. He runs the floor and picked up 10 assists in the win against the Indiana Pacers last week. He’s still a vital piece of the puzzle for a team that has jumped into legitimate title contention this season.
Anderson is an unrestricted free agent this summer. A year ago, it was unfathomable that the Wolves would even consider trading him or allowing him to walk in free agency. But the more threes and floaters he clangs off the back of the rim, such scenarios look increasingly plausible. The Timberwolves have few assets and little wiggle room under the second apron of the salary cap to make a big swing and secure the franchise’s first NBA championship. But perhaps seeing what they can get for Anderson before he leaves or his salary increases in free agency is the right move for the win-now Timberwolves.
He can still be a contributor on a championship team, and Anderson’s leadership and competitiveness are valuable on a team full of players who have never won a title. He’s an intense competitor. We saw that last year when he did enough that Gobert punched him last season. But Anderson will have to continue to play terrific defense and handle the ball on offense to stave off a super-talented rotation from squeezing him out come playoff time. Edwards, Towns, Gobert, Conely, Jaden McDaniels, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker make up a killer seven-man playoff rotation. Anderson still fits in, but with Troy Brown Jr. shooting lights out, Anderson could face a reduced role if he can’t find a reliable shot in 2024.
Kyle Anderson is still getting Wolves fans horned up whenever he makes a smart play, but the doubt is starting to creep in.
