Spurs Rookie Kyle Anderson Makes NBA Debut and Fits Right In

Dripping sweat. Sprained ankles. It all finally paid off for Kyle Anderson Thursday night.

With a shade under six minutes to go in the first quarter, Anderson, a rookie, received the ball behind the arc. Up against likely the hottest team in the league, he took one quick look at the basket before firing off the first field goal of his career. It missed, but it was without hesitation.

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An undermanned San Antonio Spurs team dropped to 2-2 on the young NBA season, losing 98-81 to the surging Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Highlighted by a woeful night of shooting, connecting on just 34.4 percent of their attempted shots and going 2-of-20 from downtown, there wasn’t much beyond Cory Joseph’s inspired effort to be happy about if you were cheering on the guys in silver and black. But Anderson’s NBA debut had to have at least cracked a small smirk on the faces of Spurs fans.

Anderson, a first-round selection out of UCLA, checked in for the first time in his professional career about halfway into the first quarter. He was promptly whistled for a delay of game. There was what seemed to be a minuscule piece of his jersey that needed to be tucked in.

Welcome to the NBA.

Anderson was undeterred. He led the Spurs in minutes and finished with four points. He only hit one of his eight shot attempts, but his confidence was great to see. The rest of his stat line also included eight rebounds, four assists and two steals. 

Even more impressive were his turnovers. Or, the lack thereof.

Responsible for bringing the ball up the length of the court on multiple occasions, the 6’9” Anderson played over 30 minutes (a rarity for any player donning a Spurs jersey, let alone a rookie) and took care of the ball better than anyone could have expected from a would-be college junior making his NBA debut—committing not a single turnover. And he wasn’t overly conservative with the ball either, making numerous difficult passes to exhibit above-average court vision. His best pass came out of a fast break in the fourth quarter via an outlet from Austin Daye that saw the gangly rookie throw an across-the-court dish to Matt Bonner for an open three-pointer. 

TNT color commentator and NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller couldn't help but refer to Anderson as a "future Boris Diaw," during the broadcast.

The parallels between Anderson and the Spurs do-it-all big man were obvious the moment he was drafted. It’s becoming almost cliché to compare the two. But Spurs fans had to enjoy seeing the similarities hold true in a real-life game.

Anderson’s lanky frame looked more than comfortable handling the ball and playing a sort of point forward at times. He also had no trouble taking his defender off the dribble, especially against Rockets forward and fellow rookie Kostas Papanikolaou.

The Spurs' versatile 21-year-old took the Greek to the paint with ease throughout the game and utilized Diaw’s patented dribble spin move (where the Frenchman lowers his inside shoulder before spinning around his opponent) for some quality shots and playmaking. One of which took place in the second quarter and turned out to be the first made basket of his career, and an and-1.

Anderson’s multifaceted skill set adds to an already adaptable and sophisticated roster. It’s a group of athletes exceptional enough to fashion lineups both big and small and as dangerous as any in recent memory when fully healthy.

It's just about the exact same roster that overthrew the two-time defending champion Miami Heat in the 2014 NBA Finals. Returning 14 players from last year's championship run, Anderson—dubbed “Slow-Mo”—is the only new face to join the fold.

Exhibited by his play Thursday night, Anderson fits in just nicely.