The Sixer Sense
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Inside Justin Anderson’s Breakout Game for the Philadelphia 76ers

By Matty Breisch

Mar 3, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Justin Anderson (23) reacts after defensive stop in the final seconds of the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers won 105-102. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 3, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers guard Justin Anderson (23) reacts after defensive stop in the final seconds of the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers won 105-102. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Well, the fans didn’t have to wait long for Justin Anderson to have his first breakout game in a Philadelphia 76ers uniform.

Justin Anderson was far from a popular player for the Philadelphia 76ers in his first week on the team. Many fans and countless journalists felt that the 76ers where robbed by the Mavericks in the Nerlens Noel trade, and that a package of Anderson, Andrew Boguet (who has since been waived) and a heavily protected first round pick was nowhere near fair market value for a starting center.

While many fans weren’t familiar with Anderson’s game, his stat line with the Mavericks was far from ideal. Though he struggled in his first week as a 76er, Justin Anderson truly came into his own in the game against the New York Knicks on Friday.

In only 24 minutes of action, Justin Anderson was able to rack up 19 points, 2 assists and 5 rebounds, while shooting 50 percent from 3-point range on 6 shots. These numbers best his average with the Mavericks in every category.

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Anderson looked unstoppable on the offensive side of the court, scoring twice off of offensive rebounds, and passing the ball to his teammates instead of taking contested shots. When Dario Saric got into foul trouble early in the second half, Anderson was thrust into action, and he did not disappoint.

Throughout the game Anderson showed little hesitation in shooting from anywhere on the court, and showed the initiative to go after his teammates’ missed shots. This relentless motor set Anderson up to shoot the go-ahead shot with less than 30 seconds to go, on a behind the back pass from Dario Saric. Justin Anderson truly flashed the shooting prowess he was praised for, and if he continues to progress as he has in this game, could be a serious contributor as an offensive wing.

Justin Anderson also made an impact on the 76ers Knicks game on the defensive end. When the game began, head coach Brett Brown had Dario Saric cover Carmelo Anthony in man-to-man situations, but once Dario fell into foul trouble, Justin Anderson was thrust into action against one of the best scorers in the NBA, and he rose to the challenge.

Anderson helped hold Anthony to only 18 points in 35 minutes, almost 6 points below his season average. Justin was also able to get under the 10-time All-Star’s skin, with consistent bickering between the pair, and even a double technical foul assessed after a particularly well defended drive to the basket.

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Justin’s defense was so tight that Brett Brown even subbed him into the game in the last 2 minutes, in order to ride the hot hand, and Justin Anderson did not disappoint. The game ended on a missed shot my Melo, with Justin Anderson and Robert Covington’s tight defense sealing the Sixers victory.

As I explored in a previous article, Justin Anderson can really be a contributor to the 76ers going forward. In college, Anderson was a quality shooter from outside, but Justin at his core is a volume shooter, and thus needs adequate minutes to get his game in rhythm. While buried on the Mavericks depth chart, Anderson was never really able to get himself into the flow, averaging only 13 minutes of action per game. Much like the 76ers logjam at center, there was just never enough minutes for Anderson to prove his worth and he was ultimately jettisoned in favor of a player who filled a more immediate need.

Next: Philadelphia 76ers Player Profile: Who is Justin Anderson?

The 76ers have ample minutes for Anderson to showcase his talents and a young nucleus of talent for him to assimilate into. Justin can play defense in the NBA, and if he can continue to shoot as consistently as he did against the Knicks, he could easily become a 3-and-D chess piece going forward. A pairing of Justin Anderson and Robert Covington should allow the 76ers to blanket opposing team’s best shooters for years to come, and that image should make Philadelphia 76ers fans even more optimistic for the future.