2016-2017 Clippers Exit Interviews: Alan Anderson

Name: Alan Anderson

Age: 34

Key Stats: 2.9/0.8/0.4 (points/rebounds/assists) on 38/32/75 shooting in 10.3 minutes per game, 30 games played

Years in NBA: 8

2016-2017 Salary: $1,315,448- veteran minimum

Future Contract Status: Unrestricted free agent

Summary: An under the radar signing that was seen as a sneakily good pickup by some, Anderson made virtually no impact on the Clippers in the 2017 season. He barely played to start the year, appearing in only one of the Clippers’ first 19 games. At first, some people believed that he was being kept in reserve as a “secret weapon” by Doc, or that he was being preserved for the stretch run. That wasn’t really the case-- he merely wasn’t getting minutes when the Clippers were playing well. As injuries started piling up, Anderson appeared in more games, playing in 29 of the 63 remaining games. However, he only played 10 or more minutes in 14 of those contests, and 13 or more in 8. Essentially, most of his minutes throughout the year were in garbage time, situational usage, or due to foul trouble. Anderson didn’t get one minute in the playoffs. He showed flashes of outside shooting and capable defense, but not consistently, and never won the trust of Coach Doc Rivers. While his locker room presence was valuable, his on court contributions were minimal at best.

Strengths: Anderson is a cagey veteran who knows all the tricks in the book. He’s strong, and can be a tough defensive player at times. He’s a solid enough three-point shooter (34.4% career average on decent volume), but not a real threat from deep. A likable player who has been in the playoffs and seen many different situations (he played around the world for most of his prime), Anderson is a strong locker room presence who is good at maintaining order, discipline, and professionalism.

Weaknesses: As Anderson has aged, his off the dribble game has disappeared. Reduced to being a spot up shooter, Anderson isn’t good enough in that role to be an effective player on the offensive end for more than a handful of minutes (unless he’s hot). While his defensive play isn’t bad, he’s no longer a stopper, and isn’t quick enough to stay with most rotation NBA guards. Simply put, he probably isn’t a viable rotation player unless in the perfect situation (playing in a bench lineup where all he has to do is shoot threes, and where he can guard non-threats or slower wings).

Future with Clippers: Anderson was very well-liked in the Clippers’ locker room, and defused several situations according to a recent article by Kevin Arnovitz. Therefore, it’s possible he returns to the Clippers for another year on the veteran minimum to be an end of the bench guy. There’s even an outside chance he could go into coaching if no playing opportunities are forthcoming. Anderson might hang around the NBA for another year or two, but I would be shocked if he cleared the 1000 minute mark as a player again.