Soaring Down South
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Atlanta Hawks’ 2018-19 Season in Review: Justin Anderson

By Dallin Duffy

ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 3: Justin Anderson #1 of the Atlanta Hawks seen following the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 3, 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - APRIL 3: Justin Anderson #1 of the Atlanta Hawks seen following the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on April 3, 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Hawks
Justin Anderson (1) of the Atlanta Hawks (Photo by Jasear Thompson/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Positives/Negatives

As mentioned throughout, Anderson was a consistent, reliable hustle guy who never took a play off.

His defense was the biggest beneficiary of that energy, and Anderson was one of the best defenders on the Hawks, who struggled nightly in that area most of the year. He finished with a defensive rating of 106.6, the highest on the team at season’s end.

He nabbed just 22 steals on the year, but was on the court so much that if you stretch that to his per-36, he averaged nearly 2 a game. His blocks were nothing to scoff at either knowing his slightly undersized 6’6 build.

His rebounding was also a bit better than you would think for that size, and averaged over 5 boards a game as a starter.

Shooting wise, 40% from the field is respectable as well, and on par with his career average, but down from last year. His scoring overall is probably closer to a negative than a positive, but it was never so egregious that he couldn’t be played.

It’s also worth noting he had the worst true shooting % of his career and his lowest usage % since his rookie season.

Really, it’s hard to fault or praise Anderson too much in any aspect, as he is a jack of all trades, master of none role player that didn’t get too many minutes to prove himself.

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