With the season over, it’s time to take stock of what we’re losing (a farewell to Darion is coming soon), what we’re bringing back, and who we’re welcoming to the fold. All of that sits on solid ground, with the exception of Justin Anderson’s plans. His options are thus: either return for a fourth year as a vital piece on a top-10 team and national championship contender, or leave for the NBA, where three and D wings (swingmen who specialize in defense and corner threes) are becoming more and more popular. I don’t have any inside info. I’ve only talked to Justin once, at the gas station behind the Barracks Road shopping center after what I think was his freshman year, and that interaction didn’t clue me in to what his plans were going to be after breaking out two years later.
Draft Express has Justin going at the top of the second round. Chad Ford has him 31st (but projected as a late first rounder). There’s a school of thought that the top of the second round is actually better for a rookie than the end of the first (there’s no guaranteed money, but you can negotiate the length and terms of your deal and are possibly free to choose your team), but that tack depends on the player actually being good enough to outperform the guaranteed pay scale that is in place for first rounders. It’s a risky move, and one that will still be there for Justin if he returns for his senior year. I know his ridiculous arms, vertical leap, and accuracy from the corner had some pro types drooling in December and January, but I also know he could use some work on his ballhandling and shot creation, and could use an uninterrupted campaign to build a larger sample size for his rebuilt jumper. Declaring feels like a risky move at this point. However, things can change: if his performances at workouts or predraft camps give him a bump, he could move into the middle of the first round.
If I were giving Justin advice, I’d tell him to go if he gets a promise from a team picking in the first round. You never know what your earning window is going to be as an elite athlete, and maximizing it should be on your short list of priorities. You can always finish your degree later. If his NBA research proves inconclusive, I’d say come back, refine your game, be part of a team with the potential to be special, and give it another go in 2016.
That’s just what he should do, though. I really don’t know what he will do. On one hand, I know that, in this day and age, a player is likely to chase the dream and turn pro at his earliest opportunity. However, I feel like Justin legitimately loves the school, his teammates, and this coaching staff, and wants badly to break them through to the next level. Anderson seems like a mature, levelheaded guy, and Tony Bennett has both good contacts at the NBA level and JA’s best interests in mind. Knowing both of those things, I’m confident that whatever choice is made will be the right one. I won’t be upset if he goes, but I hope he stays.
