Jonathan Givony
Another game and another win for Kyle Anderson (#4 Scout, #2 Rivals, #5 ESPN), who is now 45-0 in a St. Anthony's uniform.
The most unconventional player in high school basketball did it in his typical fashion here in Springfield, filling up the stat sheet with 18 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks.
Standing 6-9 in shoes, with a 7-2 wingspan, Anderson has the size of a power forward but the skill-set of a guard. He's often the biggest player on the floor at high school level, which allows him to impact the game in a variety of ways thanks to his very unique versatility. Anderson handles the ball in transition and will often initiate his team's offense in the half-court, but usually sits at the back of his team's zone and acts as its paint protector on the other side of the floor.
Offensively, Anderson is an excellent ball-handler for his size, using his length to maintain a low and controlled dribble, while playing at his own unique pace. Despite possessing an underwhelming first step and average quickness, his outstanding footwork and ability to change speeds fluidly keeps defenders off balance while he surveys the court from his terrific vantage point. Anderson has a tremendous basketball IQ and excellent vision, giving him the ability to pass ahead in transition beautifully and find the open man unselfishly with pinpoint accuracy in the half-court. This is the reason he's viewed by some as a future point forward or even a point guard, and has drawn perhaps unfair (or at least premature) comparisons to the likes of Magic Johnson and Jalen Rose.
Anderson has yet to fully hone his playmaking and shot-creating ability in the half-court, as he's a bit turnover prone when attempting to drive all the way into the paint. He rarely fully beats his man off the dribble and tends to spin into traffic looking for whistles, forcing up off balance, low-percentage floaters when that doesn't work out. He doesn't elevate well around the basket and already is a noticeably below average athlete at the high school level, so there are question marks about how this part of his game might translate as the competition level stiffens.
How good of a shooter Anderson will become down the road will likely play a significant role in the way he's evaluated at the professional level. Right now he sports a slow, deliberate release on his jumper, even if he's capable of making shots with his feet set, and at times off the dribble. The fact that he is able to get his shot off at his size with his high release point helps out quite a bit, he just needs to become more consistent with time and repetition.
The biggest question marks Anderson will face are likely to revolve around his play on the defensive end. On one hand he can absolutely fill up the stat sheet with steals, blocks and rebounds thanks to his tremendous length and anticipationability. On the other hand, he struggles to move laterally on the perimeter, getting beaten regularly off the dribble when forced to step out and guard smaller players.
He's likely best suited defending the small forward position, which means he'll need to play next to the right type of non-ball dominant guards to fully utilize his strengths on the offensive end.
Anderson's unique strengths and weaknesses make him one of the more unconventional players we've evaluated at the high school level, and provide for a wide array of opinions for how he might develop down the road. It will be very interesting (and entertaining) to see how his career plays out, starting at UCLA, where he'll be playing his college basketball under Ben Howland.
