Anderson would accept a small-ball center role with Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Kyle Anderson is ready to fill whatever role the Warriors ask of him this season.
The 31-year-old two-way forward signed a three-year, $27 million contract with Golden State this offseason and figures to play a big role in coach Steve Kerr’s rotations during the 2024-25 NBA season.
In an exclusive interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke at Warriors Media Day, Anderson said that while his new coaching staff has yet to discuss one specific role with him, he knows what the team expects from him.
“I haven’t talked to them much about it. I’m sure I will over these next few days, but I think at this point in my career they know what I bring to the table,” Anderson told Burke. “Just a guy that can start an offense, defend a lot of positions, things like that. I think they know what I bring to the table.
In 10 NBA seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, Memphis Grizzlies and Minnesota Timberwolves, Anderson mainly bounced back and forth between the small and forward positions as well as playing the occasional small ball center role.
He believes the league’s shift to positionless basketball has benefited him as an established versatile player who was once considered a “tweener.”
“I think it worked in my favor tremendously, just being able to have guys like myself play the fourth spot,” Anderson explained. “It’s kind of a position created for guys like Draymond [Green]myself who’s maybe undersize 4s or too big to play on the wing so I think the game transcended in my favor for sure.”
Trayce Jackson-Davis and Kevon Looney will be the main centers for the Warriors this season, but Anderson is willing to accept the physicality of the role when the Warriors do need him to play the 5 from time to time.
“I love it, I mean I think I can do a decent job guarding centers in the league and I think it’s an advantage for us offensively, having to set screens and play in the pocket, being able to grab a rebound and start the break due to offense,” Anderson said. “I love it.”
However, Anderson believes the NBA is starting to swing back to its emphasis on size, something the Warriors haven’t had much of in recent years.
“I think a little bit. I think you have to have a little size to win today’s game,” Anderson explained. “Boston could do it and Golden State in 2022, but I think here and there [Nikola] Jokic, [Joel] Embiid, those guys are showing glimpses that big guys can do it too.”
It remains to be seen exactly how the Warriors will use Anderson this season, but the veteran will be ready for whatever the team asks of him.
