Kyle Anderson Brings More Than Veteran Leadership to Raptors

We’ve described the acquisition of Kyle Anderson this offseason as being an underrated signing. In a time where the trade for Kawhi Leonard was under review and the future makeup of the Raptors lineup remained very uncertain, the Kyle Anderson signing provided depth reinforcement and a sign that the Raptors weren’t going to stay idle.

Whether or not this veteran-minimum move was any indication that the front office had confidence that the Kawhi Leonard deal was going to go through, it’s a move that the Raptors needed to make.

A lot of teams, including the Raptors, use a roster spot on a veteran voice coming off the bench. Most recently, Garrett Temple had closed the chapter on his playing career and elected to take the step into the world of coaching, taking an assistant coach position with the Masai Ujiri led Dallas Mavericks.

We imagine that Kyle Anderson will be called upon a little more than Garrett Temple was to play meaningful minutes. Temple only played seventy-seven games over his three seasons with the Raptors. Not only does Anderson provide frontcourt depth and leadership, he also has history with the Raptors’ newest addition.

Anderson’s Ties With Leonard Run Deep

Jan 14, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) shakes hands. — Jan 14, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (2) shakes hands with Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson (1) after the game at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Some might not remember this, but Kyle Anderson spent the first four seasons of his career with the San Antonio Spurs, playing alongside Kawhi Leonard. Coaching icon Gregg Popovich was responsible for unlocking Leonard’s defensive potential and creating schemes that worked in his favor.

While you can’t compare the two players, Popovich’s defensive approach rang true with the entire rotation. Anderson didn’t see a whole lot of playing time in his first season, as he went through his learning curves as a rookie, making his rookie mistakes. The next three seasons is where he built trust with Coach Pop, playing in at least 72 games each year. Leonard’s final year with the Spurs only allowed him to play nine games due to injury. This is where Kyle Anderson stepped up, starting in sixty-seven of seventy-four games. Anderson would also average 26.7 minutes per game, which was the highest of his career.

That was almost 10 years ago and Anderson has now settled into more of a depth rotational piece at this point in his career. His ability to help disrupt passing lanes, act as a ‘point-forward’ when needed and share his experiences with the young players on this Raptors squad is what makes Anderson valuable.

The Raptors don’t need him to be the ‘swiss-army-knife’ that he's shown flashes of over his career, but bringing in someone who has playing experience with Leonard along with veteran presence is a definite under-the-radar move by the front-office.

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