Atlanta Hawks: Who Is a Free Agent This Offseason?
By Chris Guest
Justin Anderson
Justin Anderson was acquired last offseason as a part of the three-team Dennis Schroder/Carmelo Anthony trade that also sent Mike Muscala to the 76ers (who was then later shipped to the Clippers, then the Lakers in separate deals).
The 25-year-old former University of Virginia Cavalier (who happily watched his beloved Cavs defeat the Texas Tech Red Raiders in the NCAA Title game earlier this month) started the 2018-19 season on the bench after having left leg surgery in June 2018.
After missing the first 16 games of the season, Anderson played sparingly after that – mostly seeing action in garbage time or in defense-first units. Despite that, Anderson is a masterful bench mob leader, and he was often the first one up off the pine to celebrate a teammate’s accomplishment. Even if his stats might not be eye-popping, it seems that teammates like having him around.
Beyond that, he tends to be something of an irritant for opposing teams when he plays, which can sometimes be beneficial in high-stakes playoff moments – which the Atlanta Hawks will hopefully be playing sooner than later.
Similar to Vince, a piece debuted on SDS earlier this year that outlined why re-signing VC and Anderson would make sense, and all those reasons still stand. Anderson is a stable veteran with a good defensive pedigree, and if his late-season surge was any indication, the best for Anderson in an Atlanta Hawks jersey is yet to come.