Draymond Green to Kyle Anderson: ‘You a five now’

The Warriors add another potential option at the five spot.

During Kyle Anderson’s media day availability, he was asked by The Athletic’s Anthony Slater about his experiences with a double big setup with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and how it would potentially differ from his stint with the Golden State Warriors, a team famous (or infamous) for leaning toward smaller lineups with undersized bigs who aren’t as huge as the likes of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns.

Here’s what Anderson had to say:

“It’s just two different things really,” Anderson said. “Around the facility here (Draymond Green) telling me, ‘You a five now, you not a guard no more, you a center in this offense.’ It’s going to be something I got to get adjusted to, not having Rudy out there, big KAT out there with me. Playing more small ball, I guess as you could say. I think I’ll be more comfortable more in that setting, being a four or sometimes even playing at the five.”

Last season with the Wolves, Anderson played limited possessions at the five during the regular season. The sample size may be small, but according to Cleaning the Glass, those possessions (120) were extremely productive: a 127.5 offensive rating, 97.6 defensive rating, and a net rating of plus-29.9.

Despite being 6’8”, Anderson has a 7’3” wingspan, a profile he uses to good use as a help-side defender and roamer. Being an intelligent operator on offense — mostly as a hub and DHO triggerman — fits right into the Warriors’ philosophy of inverting the floor and letting their bigs be the passers in the half court.

Anderson won’t be playing the five all the time — but he’s quite a decent option to have in small-ball configurations and against certain matchups.