Is Justin Anderson This Year’s Malcolm Brogdon?
Posted by Lathan Wells on November 22nd, 2014Prior to the beginning of last season, any preseason accolades that were heaped on a Virginia player were going to Joe Harris. He was a senior who had put up prodigious numbers over his career, and the media rightly thought he was in for a superb final season in Charlottesville. Although Harris notched his second all-ACC performance in 2013-14, it was a little-known sophomore named Malcolm Brogdon who became the team’s offensive leader on its way to the program’s best season in over three decades. With Harris now gone and Brogdon returning as a hyped junior, history at Virginia may just be repeating itself. Brogdon was the star who received preseason All-ACC honors, but through the first four games it has instead been a newcomer to the starting lineup who has become Virginia’s star.
Coach Bennett has to like what he’s seen from new starter Justin Anderson (forefront) so far (virginiasports.com)
Justin Anderson was not quite the unknown quantity that Brogdon was last year, having been the ACC’s Sixth Man of the Year a season ago. However, given the perception that this would be Brogdon’s team as well as uncertainty as to how Anderson’s energy and consistency would be affected by becoming a starter, few saw this breakout coming. The Cavaliers’ swingman has led or tied for the team scoring lead in all four contests in this young season, including a team-high 18 last night in a victory over a tough George Washington squad. Right now, he’s averaging 16.0 points and nearly six rebounds a game for one of the top teams in the nation, and shooting an astonishing 59 percent from three-point range.
This is not to say that Brogdon isn’t the same highly effective player. He’s still most likely to have the ball in his hands in Virginia’s most crucial moments, and his numbers are only slightly lower than Anderson’s. What his teammate’s rise signifies is that this truly is a different Virginia team, as head coach Tony Bennett has stressed, and the former reserve is a perfect fit for the way this year’s team is constructed. His athleticism is far better than who he replaced, Harris, and his length lends itself not only to the jaw-dropping plays he can make offensively (see two from the matchup with the Colonials here) but also to disruption on the defensive end of the floor. Bennett acknowledged another benefit Anderson provides to the team, at least at home: “He always makes those explosive plays that ignite the crowd and get things going.” In many ways, he may be a better fit for this team than Harris would have been had he had eligibility remaining.
Other starters like point guard London Perrantes and big man Darion Atkins are not going to consistently provide much offense, which means that outside of Brogdon and forward Anthony Gill, the Cavaliers needed someone else who could create their own shot. Anderson’s quickness and versatility also helps Virginia stick to its offensive tempo, giving them a player who can take a defender on his own by either overpowering him on the way to the rim or pulling up for a jumper if the seconds are ticking down. Last year Brogdon acted as that important player, but having another scorer who can provide options is a luxury Virginia really didn’t have last year.
If Virginia has another great season, it will likely be Malcolm Brogdon who gets most of the accolades. He is still the leader of this team, and will without a doubt take the ball late in games. But don’t be surprised if Anderson continues his quick rise to earn some notoriety of his own. A two-way menace and freakish athlete, he is finally getting the minutes to show how much he can impact a game from start to finish. In the end, it might make two years in a row that there’s a rising Cavalier that no one saw coming.
A 30-year old unabashed college basketball fan, I currently reside in Richmond, Virginia. I especially enjoy following the ACC and the local teams, VCU and the University of Richmond. I hope to continue my journalistic pursuits in the sports arena full-time in the future, but in the meantime I am really enjoying covering the greatest sport there is for RTC. Follow me on Twitter @prohibitivefav.
