Justin Anderson, the 21st overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, is currently negotiating a training camp contract with the Washington Wizards, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic.
The Wizards and former first-round pick Justin Anderson are working toward a training camp contract, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA.
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) August 19, 2019
The 25-year-old Anderson has played for the Dallas Mavericks, Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks, but he never got a prominent role with those teams.
In 48 games with the Hawks last season, the Virginia product averaged 3.7 points and 1.8 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per contest. It was a tough season for the former first-round pick who admitted earlier this month that his leg injury derailed his progress in 2018-19.
“Last year obviously in Atlanta, I was hurt,” Anderson said. “In camp, I was coming off of [left leg] surgery and I couldn’t do as much. I missed the first three months of the season and that set me back … So I took that year to try to get healthy, be a great teammate and help them as much as I could. I’m not feeling any pain in my leg anymore so I’m just gaining that confidence to be able to go out there, hoop, have fun and play the game with a passion and an edge. It’s been great so far.”
The Wizards, who'll miss the services of star guard John Wall the entire 2019-20 campaign, are looking to survive in the East and at the same time, develop their new players and acquisitions. Anderson is hungry to prove himself, and he might be a noteworthy addition to a team that's desperate to become a playoff contender once again.