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| Team: Oklahoma State, Junior |
| Physicals | Positions | Rankings | Misc |
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H: 6' 6"
W: 195 lbs
Bday: 03/25/1989
(20 Years Old)
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Current: SG/SF
NBA: SG/SF
Possible: SG/SF
| Round: 2 Pick: 2 in 2010 Mock Draft
Rank 9 in NCAA Juniors
Rank 34 in Top 100 Prospects
RSCI: 29
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High School: Junction City High School
Hometown: Junction City, Ark.
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| Basic Per Game Statistics - Comprehensive Stats - Statistical Top 25s |
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|  USA Basketball Junior National Teams Tryouts: Top Performers
June 20, 2009
James Anderson didn’t play up to the expectations he created with his excellent sophomore season at Oklahoma State, but was taken onto the roster based on his terrific catch and shoot ability. After a slow start, he emerged as one of the more reliable perimeter shooters on the team in terms of spotting up with his feet set, but beyond that he seemed to struggle. Anderson’s ball-handling skills are still very much a work in progress, and in a setting like this where there are no plays called for him and the spacing is often poor, he is mostly ineffective. His drives looked wild and he seemed to turn the ball over frequently when forced to put the ball on the deck.
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NCAA Weekly Performers, 3/3/09
March 3, 2009
After making a splash in the Big 12 as a sweet shooting freshman last year, James Anderson has developed into a big time scorer in his second season with the Cowboys. Despite seeing just a minimal increase in playing time, the sophomore has experienced significant increases in every major statistical category and has upped his three-point shooting percentage nearly five percent.
Even though Anderson has made such substantial jumps in his production this season, there haven’t been any drastic changes to his overall game since we last took a look at him. He is still a perimeter shooter first and foremost, with half of his shot attempts coming from beyond the arc, as was the case last season. While he is certainly at his best when he can catch and shoot, Anderson is pretty effective shooting off the dribble, able to get good elevation under his shot. There is no question now that he is a top flight perimeter shooter, connecting on 42.5% of his over six attempts per game from this range.
The biggest hindrance for Anderson continues to be his less than stellar ball-handling skills, particularly with his right hand. An excellent athlete, he is able to compensate a lot of the time thanks to his quickness off the dribble and ability to improvise while in the air, but improving this aspect of his game would make him a much more dangerous scorer. What proved to be a problem last year has continued to be one this year, as Anderson loses out on a lot of scoring opportunities in transition as a result of his ball handling skills. Even with sagging defensive pressure on the break, he tends to be a straight line dribbler who doesn’t show much propensity for changing direction to improve his angle of attack. His size and athleticism allow Anderson to score more often than he should in these situations at the collegiate level, but he will more than have his work cut out for him against NBA caliber defenders if he can’t improve his ability to create. An added bonus to Anderson’s game this year has been his increased hustle and production on the offensive glass. The sophomore is averaging more than two offensive rebounds per game, a good number for a player who spends the overwhelming majority of his time on the perimeter.
Defensively, Anderson is still very much a committed player. He works hard as both an on and off the ball defender, and the added weight he put on this season has allowed him to do a better job of fighting through screens, something he struggled with as a freshman. It is clear that he has become a smarter defender as well and his instincts have made definite strides, resulting in an increased number of steals and blocked shots this season. At times last year Anderson would seem to lose track of his assignment on the floor, but he seems to have cut down on these mental lapses in the later part of this season. Overall, with his size, athleticism and wingspan, he is a very pesky defender who shows improving instincts at this end of the floor.
Anderson certainly has made improvements to his game, most obviously his perimeter shooting. The sophomore has a great nose for the basket and has proven he can put up impressive numbers against elite competition (35 points vs. Texas) on a regular basis. By far the biggest step to address next is improving his ball-handling skills, which are severely hindering his potential in several aspects of his offensive game. With the size, athleticism and shooting prowess that Anderson brings to the table he is going to be an enticing prospect to teams at the next level; developing the ability to score more effectively off the dribble will only push his name up the draft board. There is some talk that Anderson might decide to throw his name in this year’s draft, but he might be selling himself short by doing so, as next season could truly be a breakout year for both him and Oklahoma State.
[Read Full Article]
Top NBA Draft Prospects in the Big 12 (Part One: #1-5)
September 2, 2008
After a solid, but unspectacular freshman season, James Anderson still probably isn’t a name that easily rolls off the tongue of most college basketball enthusiasts, but it’s pretty safe to say that he’s going to become much more familiar over the next year or two.
With a new coach in place in Travis Ford, and a full season underneath his belt, Anderson seems to have the raw talent and physical attributes to develop into a very solid option for Oklahoma State in his sophomore season. He’s got good size for the wing, an excellent frame, a nice wingspan, and terrific athleticism to complete a pretty intriguing initial picture. Anderson got most of his points as a freshman playing off the ball, running the floor in transition and crashing the offensive glass, but he can also really shoot the ball, knocking down 38% of his 5.4 attempts per game from beyond the arc.
In fact, over 50% of Anderson’s field goal attempts came from beyond the arc, which helps begin to explain one of his biggest weaknesses at the moment—his poor ball-handling skills. Anderson drives almost exclusively left when he puts the ball on the floor, and doesn’t seem to have the advanced dribbling skills needed to change directions or pull-up off the dribble if the defense rotates over to stop him. He often looks out of control by the time he gets to the rim (although he’s often athletic enough to get away with it) and is not really capable of creating his own shot on the fly from the perimeter the way most NBA wing players are expected to.
Anderson looks to have some significant offensive talent looking purely at his instincts and feel for putting the ball in the net, but he has a great deal of room to improve on his overall polish, not to mention his passing and rebounding ability. Considering how young he is, that doesn’t come as a huge shock.
Defensively, Anderson didn’t seem to be playing like a freshman in the later games of the season we watched of his. After starting off the season looking inconsistent in his effort and not always all that aware of what’s going on around him, he seemed to improve later in the Big 12 slate. He seemed to show more of a commitment on this end of the floor, getting low into a fundamental stance, while being aided greatly by his excellent physical tools. His frame could still use some work as we saw at times by the way he got caught trying to fight through screens, which seemed to put his entre team’s defense at a disadvantage. He’s not immune to suffering momentary lapses of judgment on this end of the floor, so we’ll have to see what kind of progress he continues to make here.
In short, there is a lot to work with, and a lot for Anderson to work on, so how quickly he makes it to the NBA will probably largely depend on how productive he becomes both individually and collectively with his teammates at Oklahoma State.
[Read Full Article]
NCAA Weekly Performers, 2/26/08-- Part One
February 27, 2008
Despite being named a McDonald’s All-American out of high school, Oklahoma State freshman James Anderson is still somewhat flying under the radar as far as the national media is concerned. However, with averages of 14 points per game on 39% shooting from the perimeter, he has surely solidified his billing as an instant impact player. With that said, he is still only beginning to establish himself as a future NBA wing player.
Anderson certainly passes the eye test in terms of an NBA shooting guard. He is a lanky 6’6” with a nice wingspan and frame, but could still afford to put on some weight. In terms of athleticism, Anderson has a nice first step and solid leaping ability, but does not look quite like the elite athlete he was billed as by some recruiting services out of high school. That being said, he still clearly possesses the physical tools to play in the NBA down the road.
Anderson is an offensive player and a threat to score just about any time the ball is in his hands. His perimeter game is the most polished skill in his offensive repertoire. Simply put, Anderson can shoot the basketball. While his overall form has proven to be quite inconsistent at times, when Anderson shoots the ball properly, getting good elevation, displaying a high and quick release, and most importantly, jumping straight into the air, his shot is beautiful.
Another interesting aspect of his perimeter game is his adaptability and creativity. Anderson can hit shots from just about anywhere and in just about any position. Watching him drain fade away three-point jumpshots from well beyond the three-point line is impressive. His streakiness from game to game looks to be a product of his youth and inconsistent shooting motion, and likely will improve over time. Simply put, Anderson has the potential to be an absolute sniper at the next level if he works on refining his jump-shot.
Elsewhere on the offensive end, Anderson also shows a good deal of potential. While he is averaging only 3.5 free-throw attempts per game, Anderson occasionally shows some aggressiveness attacking the basket. One aspect of his slashing game is his ability and skillfulness at drawing contact in the lane. Using his good body control, Anderson frequently adjusts his shot to include arm or body contact with his defender. This is evident in his developing mid-range game, as well. Anderson does a good job of recognizing and anticipating his defender’s movement and shows the ability to pull up for jumpshots, which, like his perimeter shot, display inconsistent form to the tune of a passable 44% field goal percentage. Anderson’s basketball IQ looks to be still developing, but a more recent development in his offensive game has been in the post, where he occasionally backs down his man into the post and uses his size and strength to score on a strong move.
While Anderson’s offensive potential and versatility is tantalizing, there is one significant problem: his ball-handling skills are very poor. According to Synergy Sports Technology, he drives left 83.3% of the time and that, combined with his loose and high handle, severely limit his offensive game. When watching him play, there are points in which his handle stunts his decision making ability, because he is too nervous and uncomfortable dribbling the ball. Dribbling the ball towards the rim, he is often out of control by the time he reaches the basket, which does not allow him to get off a clean shot. For him to blossom into an elite wing player at the collegiate level, he must continue to develop his handle and work on becoming comfortable using either hand and advanced moves to create his own shot.
Another aspect of his game that he must improve is defense. Though he has the physical and athletic potential, combined with good lateral quickness that suggest he could become a solid defender at this, as well as the next, level, his focus too often wanes and he is often a non-factor. This is evidenced in his extremely poor 3.4 rebounds per game in 31 minutes. He certainly has the athleticism and size to be a factor on the boards, but the effort and focus just is not there yet. This is another area in which improvement is essential if Anderson wants to maximize his potential.
While James Anderson has a long way to go, his physical tools and scorer’s mentality speak volumes about his potential. He has definitely cemented a reputation as one of the most productive freshmen in the country, and must break out of his recent shooting slump to finish his freshman campaign strong. Right now, he looks to be a three-year prospect, and with the Oklahoma State Cowboys looking like they have the potential to challenge next year in the Big 12, Anderson’s improvement is all but necessary for his team to win, but also essential if he wants to maximize his high potential to be a scoring threat at the next level.
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