Training camp is coming, and the Washington Wizards are adding bodies. Their latest addition, Justin Anderson, should already have some fans in the area.
The Washington Wizards have had an extremely active offseason, and with training camps set to start in just two weeks, they aren’t done making moves.
According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Washington Wizards have agreed to a non-guaranteed contract with Justin Andreson.
Justin Anderson has finalized a non-guaranteed contract with the Wizards, sources tell The Athletic.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) September 17, 2019
The news shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to Wizards fans. Katz had previously reported that the Wizards were interested in Anderson last month. It just took a little bit longer for them to iron out the details.
The Wizards and former first-round pick Justin Anderson are working toward a training camp contract, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) August 19, 2019
If ‘Justin Anderson‘ rings a bell, you may remember him his college days not far from DC. Anderson made a name for himself playing under Tony Bennett at the University of Virginia. Despite being a first-round pick in 2015, though, Anderson has struggled to stick in the NBA. He spent a season and a half with the Dallas Mavericks before being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, where he played another season and a half before being cut. Last season he was with the Atlanta Hawks, his third team in his short four-year career. There he played just 48 games, averaging only 9.6 minutes per game.
Despite being hailed as a ‘Three and D’ type wing player out of college, Anderson has struggled to translate his NCAA strengths to the NBA level. In his four year career, Anderson has never shot above 33 percent from behind the arc. For his NBA career, he’s a 30 percent three-point shooter.
Based on the reports of a “training camp contract,” it’s unlikely that we’ll see Anderson on the opening night roster for the Washington Wizards. Plus, their roster sheet is growing heading into training camp. They’re up to 18 on the roster now, including two-way deals and excluding Anderson. They’ll have to do some trimming before their first game. However, with a ton of fresh faces in town, Anderson could work his way onto the roster if he manages to turn some heads in training camp.
Ted Leonsis, Tommy Sheppard, and the rest of the ever-expanding front office have been clear about the type of player they want as the Wizards head in a new direction: hungry, hardworking, and coachable. One thing’s for sure, Anderson fits that bill. Despite bouncing around the NBA a bit, he’s still just 25 years old. It’s too early to write him off.