While athletic scorers like Anthony Edwards have taken over the league lately, few possess a good game sense with court awareness. Players like Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic, who play at their own pace, have managed to secure the top spot on the hardwood with their playmaking and vision. Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson is also one such example.
Advertisement
The 6’8″ forward recently played big minutes in the Timberwolves Game 4 victory over the Mavericks. Towards the end of the fourth quarter, interestingly, Anderson had his fingerprints on every basket the Minnesota side scored.
Posting just two points in the fourth quarter, Anderson’s efforts might have gone unnoticed by some, but not Rich Paul. On X, LeBron James’s agent shared a clip of the UCLA rookie executing a play, to educate young hoopers on the importance of making winning plays with or without the ball. The post read,
“Young players pay attention. This is high-IQ basketball that exceeds your ranking as an individual talent. You have to get to a place where you star in a role and become knowledgeable about making a winning play that doesn’t involve the ball. To guarantee value in the NBA/WNBA.”
Young players pay attention . This is high IQ basketball that exceeds your ranking as an individual talent . You have to get to a place where you star in a role and become knowledgeable of making a winning play that doesn’t involve the ball. To guarantee value in the NBA/WNBA. https://t.co/yHCF1eldhW
— Rich Paul (@RichPaul4) May 29, 2024
In the clip, Anderson could be seen directing Karl-Anthony Towns to clear out space for Anthony Edwards. The 30-year-old sneakily places Towns in the corner, just next to himself. As Edwards drives, Anderson signals Ant-Man to pass the ball to KAT to make a shot.
As soon as Towns catches the ball, the defender (Kyrie Irving) rushes to the Timberwolves’ big man but is swiftly met with a timely screen by Kyle “Slow-Mo” Anderson, giving KAT enough time to swish a corner three and build on their lead. In the conference final series, he has provided much-needed effort for his team coming off the bench.
“Slow-Mo” Kyle Anderson shows up big time for the Timberwolves
Watching Kyle Anderson warm up often makes one wonder if the Timberwolves forward could even get off a shot in a real game. From his dribbling to his release, everything about Anderson screams “slow”. Regardless, the 30-year-old has managed to carve himself a 10-year-long career in the NBA, partly due to his otherworldly basketball IQ.
Possessing a 6’8″ frame, Anderson is especially effective as a pick-and-roll partner. Even though he doesn’t light up the stat sheets like his peers, his impact is mostly felt in the intangibles of the game.
Even during the Wolves’ recent do-or-die Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks, Anderson’s intelligence was on full display. During the game, Anderson directed his team like a traffic cop during rush hour, and anyone who understands basketball knows that the Wolves season would have probably been over right now if not for his contribution.
