Boston Celtics Free Agent Target: Ryan Anderson

The Boston Celtics should look at Ryan Anderson to help solve their three-point shooting

The Boston Celtics are in need of a shooter this off-season, as well as a capable big man. Ryan Anderson would help address each of those needs. The stretch four is becoming an increasingly important part of today’s NBA and while Anderson may not be the superstar that Celtics’ fans yearn for, he is a capable, proven shooter.

The Celtics have certainly tried to address the need for a big who can shoot, but that move hasn’t quite paid off. Kelly Olynyk hasn’t performed with the consistency that the Celtics had hoped for when they drafted him. He has battled some injury problems and has yet to make his mark. He’ll go through stretches of great play, but then follow that up with a stretch of invisibility.

One big problem with Olynyk is his inability to be an effective rebounder. Underneath the basket, he can be very tentative at times. In three seasons, he has never averaged more than five rebounds per game. It’s great to have a seven-footer who can space the floor, but a player with that kind of size should be more reliable on the glass.

Jared Sullinger is a guy who, at times, has behaved like a stretch four. However, with his build, he’s best suited to play down on the block, and is much more effective in that position.

At 28-years-old, Anderson is entering the prime of his career. His defense may be suspect but sometimes you need to sacrifice something on the defensive end of the floor in order to score more points. That’s what it takes in this league, especially in the postseason. You can play great defense all you want but at the end of the day, somebody needs to make a shot.

A career 37 percent three-point shooter, Anderson would give Boston’s offense a nice lift, especially with the second unit. He would be an upgrade over Olynyk in the sense that he’s more reliable, consistent, and well-rounded. Coming off of the bench primarily last year, Anderson averaged 17 points and 6 rebounds per game, marks that were second and third best on the New Orleans Pelicans, respectively.

Yes, he’s primarily a jump shooter, but Anderson can do more than catch-and-shoot from beyond the arc. He runs the floor well and would help Boston’s transition offense. He’s also active on the offensive glass.

It was just a few seasons ago where Anderson made over 200 three-pointers, a feat that not even Ray Allen accomplished during his time in Boston – full disclosure, Allen hit 199 in the 2008-09 season. Only three times in Celtics history has a player made over 200 threes though. Paul Pierce was the last Celtic to do it, back in 2001-02.

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Would Anderson come to Boston and hit 200 threes? Probably not, but it’s just evidence of the type of shooter he has been, and can be. Before a herniated disc sidelined him for the remainder of the 2013-14 season, Anderson was averaging just under 20 points per game, and shooting better than 40 percent from three through 22 games.

Anderson would also give Boston’s rebounding a boost. A per game average of six rebounds may not be overly impressive, but playing alongside a rebounding machine like Anthony Davis, getting your hands on six a game is pretty good. Twenty-three times this past season Anderson recorded seven or more rebounds in a game too.

The contract that Anderson will ultimately end up with will seem inflated, but that’s just due to the amount of money that is available to spend this off-season, and a monstrous salary cap. In the grand scheme of things it’s all relative.

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He may not be on the wish list of most Celtics fans but Anderson would be a solid addition to the team. These are the types of players Boston should be targeting in free agency. The team has never been able to land a superstar free agent. Those kinds of players should be targeted via trade. The Celtics should be using free agency to find complimentary pieces to surround a superstar.