The Indiana Pacers reportedly sign Justin Anderson to a 10-day deal
With just a dozen games left to play in the season, the Indiana Pacers are still not done trying to find new contributors, reportedly signing Justin Anderson from the Fort Wayne Ants to a standard 10-day deal.
Free agent G/F Justin Anderson is signing a 10-day deal with the Indiana Pacers, his agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. He was the G League’s most recent Player of the Week for Ft. Wayne.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 17, 2022
Anderson, who was a part of the roster in the middle of the season as the Pacers trekked through the league-wide COVID-19 outbreak, spent most of the season in Indiana’s G-League affiliate, leading the minor league in scoring with 27.8 points per game for the Mad Ants. He has also been logging 6.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per contest. In his early duty with the main team, he only saw the court sparingly, norming 10 minutes per outing in three appearances.
What does signing Justin Anderson mean for the Indiana Pacers as they approach the final stretch of the season?
With the season approaching its final juncture, the Pacers did not need to sign new bodies as they are firmly out of contention for the postseason. Perhaps this is a mini prove-it deal for Justin Anderson to showcase how much of his G-League experience he can translate over to the NBA in hopes of getting a guaranteed roster spot in the offseason.
Also, this could be a move for the Pacers to get some solid cushion in the wing position, with key cogs like Chris Duarte, Lance Stephenson, and TJ Warren in and out of the lineup with injuries or sidelined altogether.
Since getting drafted in 2015, the 28-year-old bounced around the league like hot potatoes, having already played for six franchises. However, he’s in line for a breath of familiarity in the Circle City, as he played for head coach Rick Carlisle for a season and a half when he manned the sidelines for the Dallas Mavericks.
Hopefully, with the Indiana Pacers left to just play the season out, Anderson gets ample time to prove his worth to get another contract over the summer. Expecting him to log his sky-high numbers in the G-League is futile, but he profiles as an all-around wing who can defend multiple positions, though his three-point shot is shaky.
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