Memphis Grizzlies: Kyle Anderson Enters Important Offseason Following Successful Surgery

Kyle Anderson finally received the treatment he has needed on a troublesome shoulder injury. His return to full health is critical if the Memphis Grizzlies want success next season.

In his first season as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, small forward Kyle Anderson played in just 43 of 82 regular season games. He battled through lingering right shoulder issues, eventually being shut down by the team for the final 30 games.

This shoulder injury — which happens to be on Anderson’s shooting arm — was finally addressed via surgery on Thursday, according to the Memphis Grizzlies. This ailment has been hampering Kyle Anderson for “two or three years,” as told in the recent column by The Athletic‘s Omari Sankofa.

Now that the uncommon shoulder surgery has taken place for Anderson, he should have a huge focus on this summer. It is time for him to invest in his recovery time and rehabilitation so that he can get back to conditioning for the 2019-20 NBA season prior to training camp.

Though Kyle Anderson appeared in just half of the 2018-19 season for the Memphis Grizzlies, he had a major impact on both ends of the floor. Though he is predominantly known for his defensive nature, Grizz Nation enjoyed his playmaking ability in the occasional point-forward role.

In a career-best 29.8 minutes per game, produced career-high marks in points (8.0), rebounds (5.8), assists (3.0), and blocks (0.9) per game. Plus, he shot an impressive 54.3% overall from the field. You cannot forget his triple-double performance on January 4th, 2019 versus the Brooklyn Nets in front of the home crowd.

Even with a 54.3% shooting accuracy, Kyle Anderson’s numbers took a direct hit by his right shoulder injury. As previously mentioned, he is a right-handed shooter, and his free-throw shooting dropped to a career-low 57.8% — nearly 15% lower than Kyle achieved in the previous season. From beyond the arc, he demonstrated a 26.5% accuracy, which is 6.8% less than his previous season’s mark.

One has to wonder if clutch shots — much like this one in the video directly below — would have gone through the hoop for Kyle Anderson if the shoulder injury was not present at the time. He was missing lift on his jumper, yet it was admirable to see him battle through the pain to give the Grizzlies a chance at victory.

Upon signing a four-year, $37 million contract as a restricted free-agent in 2018, Anderson accepted a larger role with a team — the Grizzlies — that has been longing for a permanent fixture at the small forward position. Now that they have solidified this starting spot, they need Kyle to find full health. The following step will be to maintain a good bill of health.

During his time with the San Antonio Spurs, Kyle Anderson has played in no fewer than 72 games since the 2015-16 season. Though shoulder surgery is significant, given a full recovery is expected, there should not be any worry of the UCLA product missing numerous games next season. His presence will give the team a legitimate shot at returning to the NBA Playoffs.