Cavs should strongly consider Kyle Anderson in free agency

Anderson’s defense

Anderson is a player who can defend multiple positions at a very high level, with his ability to dictate driving angles, use his length to contest well and make a difference off-ball.

Whether it’d eventually end up as a rotational player or as a starter down the road, Anderson would provide Cleveland with a defensive chess piece that could handle opponents’ best wings, and with his length, he can handle opposing guards if needed. He’s sturdy enough to play with high hands on-ball against bigs in the post, too, which could work well in lineups with Evan Mobley/Jarrett Allen as rim protectors along with it.

The 6-foot-9, 230-pound Anderson is not a guy that’s known for his athleticism, and that’s well-documented at this juncture.

That being said, he’s a cerebral player that would be a quality option for Cleveland to deploy against crucial offensive threats, and he’s been a guy with active hands to make plays both on and off-ball when he’s in.

Anderson had other impactful defenders around him for stretches with Memphis, but he was among their best, and had 1.2 and 1.1 steals per outing the past two seasons. He had 2.0 deflections per outing last season, too, per NBA.com’s hustle data. He’s can help team defense as a helper near the basket as well, as evidenced by him having 1.1 blocks per-36 minutes the past two seasons.

The Cavs would have to figure out what lineups to utilize him best, sure; it’s evident that with his defensive abilities, though, Anderson could be a very impactful defensive option.

From there, we’ll touch on how Anderson could help Cleveland for stretches offensively.