Even though his nickname is ‘Slo Mo’ and style is unorthodox, Kyle Anderson fitting in with fast-paced Grizzlies

More than anything, pace has defined the Grizzlies through 14 games this season. They’re seventh overall in the NBA — a far cry from previous teams defined that liked it “in the mud,” as the refrain used to go.

Since being hired in June, Taylor Jenkins has preached speedily getting up-and-down the floor. It posed a number of questions for how the roster would adjust. For players such as Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke, the fit was straightforward. For other players on the team, not so much.

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On paper, Kyle Anderson fit the latter category for numerous reasons. He spent the first four years of his career with the Spurs, who, like the Grizzlies, were in the bottom half of the NBA in pace during that stretch. But by any measure, Anderson just isn’t a fast guy. His languid approach to fast breaks earned him the nickname “Slo Mo.” He’s one of the most unique players in the NBA, and his defense and playmaking make him one of the better role players in the league.

But he’s also a unique player to scheme around. And the Grizzlies, after signing him to a four-year, $37.2 million deal in 2018, failed to maximize his skill set last season. Shoulder issues that prematurely shut down his season in January only added to any uncertainty surrounding him entering this season, with a new front office and new scheme to adapt to.

During media day, Anderson wasn’t worried. He said his game fits many styles of play. That he’s unselfish and good without the ball in his hands. How could he not fit Jenkins’ motion-based scheme?

“I’m a basketball player, man,” Anderson said. “I can do a lot. I see myself fitting in just fine. I don’t see a problem, seeing the way we play and thinking, ‘Oh, that’s going to be too difficult for me.’ I feel like I can adjust. I’m going to be learning, I’m going to do my due diligence where I can see myself and go from there.”

It appears Anderson was right. He’s averaging a career-best 17.5 percent assist percentage and a career-low 9.9 turnover percentage, per Cleaning The Glass. His usage rate is up from last season, to 14.9 percent from 13.6 percent. He’s still one of the most effective defenders on the team. Any concerns that his game wouldn’t fit the new scheme appear to have been overblown.

The eye-test, for the most part, supports the numbers. Anderson thrives as a secondary playmaker. The ball often finds him in transition and he’s been good at either finishing plays himself or finding the right teammate. He’s had an array of herky-jerky layups and unexpectedly-slow euro steps, giving him one of the more unique highlight reels in the league.

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Anderson’s teammates have seen the difference in his game. He’s playing with more confidence than he did last season, and it’s clear that Jenkins has empowered him to do what he does best.

“He’s more in the offense,” Dillon Brooks said. “He’s confident in his shot. He’s playing like he was playing back in the day, at UCLA, beginning of the Spurs. A lot of confidence. We need it coming off of the bench. And he’s getting into his mid-range, getting into his shots that he loves to take. We have a coach that likes what he does and likes his shot selection, likes getting his players involved. Once he feels involved, he can make plays.”

Jenkins said Anderson creates “randomness” when he’s in the game, and it’s an apt description. Defenders typically have a hard time guessing what Anderson is going to do when he’s leading a fast break.

PUT IT IN THE LOUVRE

— Fastbreak Breakfast (@fastbreakbreak) November 7, 2019

Sometimes, Anderson doesn’t even know what he’s going to do.

“I’m just out there playing the game, really,” Anderson said. “Don’t make a thing of it, because guys are going to start sitting on it. I’m just playing the game and using my craftiness and out there having fun.”

His teammates are recognizing that Anderson is adept at rewarding them for their movement. Going back to the randomness that Jenkins mentioned, Anderson has been good as a pick-and-roll ballhandler and finding cutters.

He’s also been one of the best defenders on the team. Per Synergy, he’s holding opposing pick-and-roll ballhandlers to .581 points per possession. That ranks in the 92nd percentile in the league. Overall, he’s holding opponents to .779 points per possession. Synergy judges both marks as “excellent.”

“His name is Slo Mo but he sees plays, like, three or four ahead,” Brooks said. “We need him to be himself every single game, be aggressive every single game and when he comes off the bench, get the bench guys ready to go.”

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A factor in Anderson’s success is his health. After undergoing thoracic outlet surgery in March, he underwent an extended rehab process. He had long dealt with tingling in his right shoulder and hand that he believed affected his game. During training camp, Anderson feared his continued rehab from the surgery would cause him to miss regular-season games. But he hasn’t missed a game yet, and the tingling that once plagued him is gone.

Anderson his hitting 67 percent of his short mid-range shots, a career-high by a significant margin. Previously, he had never hit more than 48 percent of them. That shot has always been a staple of his offense, but he’s never been this good at making it. It’s unclear if his improved shoulder is a factor in his improved efficiency from mid-range, but he’s more comfortable from there than he ever has been.

While he’s still efficient, he isn’t quite as efficient as his number at the rim and from mid-range would suggest. He’s made a career-high 59 percent of his 2-pointers, one of the best marks in the league among forwards. He’s attempting a career-high 1.1 3-point attempts per game, and making just 26.7 percent of them. It’s not a massive sample size — he’s 4 of 15 on the year. But that, in addition to his free throw shooting (15-26, 57.7 percent) knocks his true shooting percentage down to 56.6 percent. The league-average true shooting percentage this year is 55.5 percent, per Basketball Reference.

After practices, it’s common to see Anderson practicing his 3-pointers and free throws. Jenkins’ mantra this season has been “let it fly,” and that includes Anderson, who historically has never been a great shooter. His slump at the line continues a trend from last season, prior to which he hit better than 70 percent from the line for three consecutive seasons. Whether it’s an early season slump or something to be concerned about remains to be seen, but Jenkins is confident that Anderson will turn it around.

“I’ve seen a lot of improvement, a lot of confidence,” Jenkins said. “He spends a ton of time every single day working on his shot. He’s obviously got success with the mid-range, getting to the free throw line, creating some fouls on free throws. And then with our offense you have to be able to space it and shoot it. I think, over the course of the first couple weeks of the season, him being more confident, less hesitant to just let it fly, catch and shoot it is a credit to all the work he’s put in.”

Regardless, Anderson has been much better than his on/off numbers (-4.5 per 100 possessions, according to Cleaning The Glass) would suggest. As the season progresses, Jenkins said he hopes to get more experimental. That could mean good things for Anderson and the Grizzlies’ bench.

“I’m not a guy that’s going to go out there and take 15 or 20 shots,” Anderson said. “Just trying to get guys involved, play to my strengths, play with the pass and when scoring opportunities come, I’ll take them, obviously.”

(Photo of Anderson: Joe Murphy / NBAE via Getty Images)