Undeterred by a sprained knee that sidelined him for two games last week, Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson picked up where he left off on Monday against Portland, extending his playmaking streak.
Timberwolves’ Kyle Anderson getting his groove back
With a more defined role, Kyle Anderson is showing his playmaking skills off the bench more consistently.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
March 5, 2024 at 8:21PM
He delivered five assists, scored nine points and was a plus-12 — second-best on his team — in nearly 29 minutes off the bench during a 119-114 victory at Target Center.
Anderson now has three assists or more in 11 consecutive games, the longest such streak in his pro career.
Wolves point guard Mike Conley calls it a veteran player finding his place and filling his role.
“His role is even more defined,” Conley said. “He understands that he needs to be a playmaker for us at all costs. He’s a guy we can trust with the ball, a guy who makes the right decisions, whether it’s scoring the ball, posting up or finding guys in the right spots. Defensively, he’s a guy who can switch onto different guys, guard other guys and give Jaden [McDaniels] a break, give [Anthony Edwards] a break.
“He has been those things so far. He’s just confident in that role.”
Anderson is finding his way in his second season with the Wolves and his 10th season in the NBA after previous stops in Memphis and San Antonio. He signed as a free agent with the Wolves in July 2022, played 69 games last season and averaged 9.4 points, 4.9 assists and 5.3 rebounds. He also shot 50.9% from the field and 41% from three-point distance.
This season, he has played 60 of 62 games, 6.2 points, 4.1 assists, 3.5 rebounds, shot 46.9% from the field and 21.6% from three-point distance.
He comes off the bench for a second unit that often moves the ball better on offense than the Wolves’ starting unit. It did so again Monday as the Wolves swept the four-game season series from Portland.
The Wolves finished a seven-game homestand — the longest of the season — with a 4-3 record after they lost to Sacramento on Friday and the L.A. Clippers on Saturday before beating Portland. Now they’re off on a six-game road trip that starts with back-to-back games at Indiana and Cleveland, games in Los Angeles against first the Lakers and Clippers, then two more in Utah while the Big Ten basketball tournaments take over Target Center the next two weeks.
They’re 43-19 and first in the Western Conference, mere percentage points ahead of Oklahoma City and Denver.
Anderson calls his recent play improvement from his season’s start.
“Just getting off to the slow start like I did, I just want to keep progressing,” he said. “I’m not even thinking about it. I’m just thinking of ways I can get better and ways I can help the team. That’s just how I go about it.”
He says he feels a difference.
“A little bit,” Anderson said after Monday’s game. “I think I have been better these last games. I just try to stay in a rhythm and keep it going.”
The Wolves’ starters had 10 assists in Monday’s game, the second unit had 18. That, however, is a bit misleading because of this unusual fact: Reserve forward Nickeil Alexander-Walker started Monday’s game and played 35 seconds because Edwards was late to the court, saying later he had lost track of time during his final pregame preparation.
Edwards had six assists, Anderson five and Monte Morris seven. Conley had seven, and no other starter had more than one.
“We share the ball and run in the open court,” Anderson said. “It has been a lot of fun playing with those guys, especially now having Monte as well.”
When asked about Anderson’s recent play, Wolves coach Chris Finch said, “Geez, I don’t know.”
Then, he was more specific.
“It feels like he has settled down post-trade deadline,” Finch said, referring to last month’s deadline. “He’s getting more comfortable with the rotation around everybody. When Monte comes in, I think it helps everybody just a little bit. I’m figuring out those combinations as a coach. You also see it in his shot. He’s trusting his shot more, and he has been shooting it pretty well.”
Despite so-so record, Wolves have improved at crunch time.
