PF Ryan Anderson: Orlando Magic's Secret Weapon

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Fans who tuned in to the Orland Magic season opener on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers likely had one question on their minds, "Who the heck is Ryan Anderson?"

With Rashard Lewis out for the first ten games of the regular season, head coach Stan Van Gundy has named Ryan Anderson as the starting power forward. Lewis is serving a suspension he was given in the offseason after testing positive for a banned substance.

Anderson has stepped up for the Magic, scoring 16 points in each of his first two games, both wins. He has also grabbed six rebounds and has a blocked shot. Of his 32 points, 18 have come from three point territory.

Most people overlooked Anderson's arrival in Orlando as he was thrown into the deal that brought in eight time All-Star Vince Carter from New Jersey in exchange for PG Rafer Alston, SG Courtney Lee, and F/C Tony Battie.

Anderson makes up for some of what the Magic lost with the departure of F Hedo Turkoglu. The 6'10" Turkish sensation created a mismatch with his excellent perimeter play. Teams were forced to either cover Turkoglu with a smaller player or pull a big man away from the basket, allowing C Dwight Howard to dominate in the paint or give other players more open looks.

Though Ryan Anderson has yet to prove that he is equal to Turkaglu, he has looked very impressive since joining the Orlando Magic. In the Orlando Summer League, Anderson averaged 25.3 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. In the preseason, he put up 14.0 points and 4.3 rebounds in only 20.4 minutes per game.

Coming out of the University of California, Anderson was selected 21st overall on the 2008 NBA Draft by the Nets. In his only season in New Jersey, Anderson averaged 19.9 minutes with 7.4 points and 4.7 rebounds.

Focused on making a serious run at winning their first NBA title, the Orlando Magic have to love the versatility of Anderson as well as fellow newcomers, PF Brandon Bass and SF Matt Barnes. The flexibility allows the Magic to give teams different looks and create matchup problems for opponents.

Orlando picked up Anderson's 2010-11 team option and will look to keep the kid around for a while if he keeps up the solid play.

If Vince Carter can prove the doubters wrong and Ryan Anderson can play up to the potential he showed before the season, Orlando may have pulled of the steal of the decade. If the Magic end up champions, they will, at least, have pulled off what they were looking for.

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