I know what you’re thinking: “In the 2019 NBA offseason, you want an up-and-coming franchise like the Atlanta Hawks to trade for a notably unplayable defender on a team that is already not particularly well-known for its defensive personnel? Why?”
Perhaps I’ve been swayed by basketball writer Kirk Goldsberry’s new book Sprawlball, which begins with a lengthy dissection of the impact that Ryan Anderson had on the 2016-17 Houston Rockets. It is certainly true that Anderson is one of the few players – at any position – that can truly warp defenses with his spacing due to his ability to spot up from way, way downtown.