The American impressed in an all-Spanish showdown at Baskonia in Round 26.
Justin Anderson is starting to shine for Valencia
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Regular Season
Round 23 of 34
Group Regular Season
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As we head to the end of January, it’s the time of the year for mid-season signings to start to make an impact and change the course of their team’s season... and Valencia Basket is certainly starting to get to enjoy the talents of Justin Anderson.
The 30-year-old forward, a former first-round draft pick by the Dallas Mavericks, enjoyed a long career in the United States as he also represented the Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers in more than 250 NBA appearances.
That kind of experience prompted Valencia to recruit Anderson in December following a brief stint with fellow Spanish team Rio Breogan, and his performance in Friday’s 62-77 victory over Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz suggested that he’s ready to become a key player in the push for post-season action.
Anderson made key plays all night long
Anderson’s most important contribution doesn’t immediately show up on the stats sheet, as his determined defense played a major role in restricting Baskonia’s dangerman Markus Howard to just 7 points on 3-of-14 field goal shooting.
His defensive efforts also produced the most spectacular play of the game, and perhaps in the whole competition this week, as he faced up to Tadas Sedekerskis’s fierce attempted dunk with a stupendous block that, coming midway through the final quarter, proved to be a real momentum changer in his team’s favor.
A few minutes earlier, Anderson had also delivered a similarly big offensive play. Back-to-back triples from Jordan Theodore and Chima Moneke had seen Baskonia threaten to overturn a deficit that had stood in double figures for most of the second half, pulling it back to 53-56.
Valencia coach Alex Mumbru called a timeout, urging his players to stay calm and withstand the home team’s charge. And straight away, Anderson did exactly that, taking the wind out of Baskonia’s sails by keeping his cool to sink a three-pointer.
Anderson finished with solid all-round numbers of 8 points on 3-of-4 field goal shooting, along with 1 assist, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 blocked shots, with his season-high total of more than 21 minutes on the floor also showing that he is increasingly earning the trust of Coach Mumbru.
In the coming weeks, his influence could grow even greater.