After a bitter defeat last season, the Los Angeles Lakers made a big bet this summer, and the arrival of Russell Westbrook allowed the Purple and Gold Tors to form a big three lineup again. However, this is obviously a double-edged sword, the good side is that the Lakers' paper lineup is obviously upgraded, looking very gorgeous; but on the other hand, the Lakers can be said to have overdrawn their future assets, and the salary space has been basically blocked because of the existence of the big three. So in order to increase the possibility of winning the championship, the Lakers management may have to continue to act.
Although the lineup looks luxurious at first glance, there are too many veterans in the Lakers, and with the increase in age and the tight schedule, the Lakers are more likely to suffer injuries than other teams. Coupled with the veteran's state is prone to cliff-like decline, so the Los Angeles Lakers now especially need to introduce more relatively young players, on the one hand, to add fresh blood, so that the team becomes more dynamic. In addition, even such players can bring help in the future and become a very important part of the team. Therefore, the US media believes that the Lakers can regard Kyle Anderson as a potential target for reinforcements, and the latter also meets these conditions.
Kyle Anderson's starting point is not very high, and his personal abilities and talents are quite common among NBA-level players. Kyle Anderson's pace on the pitch seems a little slow, and for this reason, the outside world has also given him a nickname of "human creeping essence". But Kyle Anderson is lucky, because if it's a team like the Thunder and rockets that value talented players, maybe his fate is to be responsible for guarding the water dispenser. And if it is in some perennial bad team formation, Kyle Anderson is not out of the day.
And he just came to the San Antonio Spurs, because the team has a high record in the league all year round, so it is difficult for the Spurs to get players who are too high in the pick. But on the other hand, head coach Popovich emphasizes integrity and tactical execution, in his eyes there is no core and substitute points, star players if the state is not good or tactical execution is not in place, it will still be pressed on the bench. On the contrary, substitute players who usually play few hours, if they are in good enough form, Popovich will also entrust them with heavy responsibilities and let them let go to play. It was in this environment of growth that Kyle Anderson continued to improve, and although his regular stats were not particularly eye-catching, he gradually became a fairly well-rounded forward player.
Kyle Anderson left the Spurs in the summer of 2018, but because of his excellent performance in The Holy City, he attracted the attention of several teams, and eventually Kyle Anderson signed a four-year contract with the Memphis Grizzlies, with an annual salary of more than $9 million. Since the Grizzlies are very short of people in the small forward position, since Kyle Anderson joined, he is basically the absolute main force in the team, and the data has also improved significantly.
In particular, last season, Kyle Anderson played his career-best, averaging 12.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. His starting lineup with Ja Morant, Dillon Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jonas Valanciunas is not particularly flashy on paper, but the lineup is very practical, and the five players each play out their own advantages, especially on the defensive end, the oppression brought to the opponent is very obvious.
For the Lakers, if they can get players like Kyle Anderson, they will be able to go back and forth, first of all, the tough guy is "only" 28 years old, in the "nursing home" like the Lakers, Kyle Anderson is already a relatively young player. And when he first entered the league, everyone would laugh at Kyle Anderson's playing style like a 35-year-old veteran. But it is also because he is not as flying as many young players, so that Kyle Anderson has not suffered any too serious injuries so far, in fact, his attendance rate has been very high since entering the league, so that Kyle Anderson's peak period should be longer than most players, even in the twilight of his career, Kyle Anderson's state will not be too obvious decline. At this stage, Kyle Anderson wins across the board, his projection and defensive ability are at the league average level; the breakthrough speed is not fast, but the rhythm is very good, which allows him to finish under the basket and create better shooting opportunities for his teammates.
On the other hand, Kyle Anderson will become a free agent next summer, and if he can quickly integrate into the Lakers' tactical system, it is also suitable for the team, and naturally everyone is happy, waiting until next summer when the two sides can seek to continue to cooperate and discuss a new contract extension. Even if Kyle Anderson is not so suitable for the Lakers, after the one-year contract expires, the two sides can get together and disperse. In general, this suggestion of the US media is worth considering the Lakers management, Kyle Anderson is indeed a low-risk and high-return investment, the key depends on how the team operates.