Former Arizona forward Ryan Anderson agrees to Summer League deal with Orlando Magic

Not the first Ryan Anderson or Wildcat to play for the Magic

After going undrafted, Ryan Anderson, who spent his senior year with the Arizona Wildcats, will have a chance to make the Orlando Magic roster this summer.

Former #arizonawildcats Gabe York (Charlotte) and Ryan Anderson (Orlando) receive NBA summer-league invitations: https://t.co/HKLsGD5WRH

— Bruce Pascoe (@BrucePascoe) June 27, 2016

Anderson, a transfer from Boston College, led the Wildcats in scoring (15.3 ppg) and rebounds (10.1 rpg) in the 2015-16 season. He was also able to shoot 74.5% from the free throw line.

In his year away from the court due to the transfer rule and injury, Anderson rehabbed his shoulder in a way that allowed him to become the strongest player in program history (literally broke the bench press record). The moment he returned to the floor for his senior year, you could tell that he was going to be Arizona’s most important player throughout the year.

Even though he averaged a double-double, his defense was the weakness in his game, particularly against power forwards that could play above the three point line. His inability to cover a guy one-on-one in certain situations forced Sean Miller to use a zone defense for the first time in his Arizona tenure.

His Boston College career was fairly consistent as well, as he always averaged double-digit scoring and just under eight rebounds per game in each season. He also impressed at this year’s Portsmouth Invitational, leading those players in rebounding and was third in scoring.

Anderson could certainly impress with his play and make his way to an NBA roster. As long as he can defend away from the basket, there’s no reason to think he can’t at least get some run in the league.

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