The Washington Wizards got a huge boost last season from Paul Pierce with his clutch shooting and his veteran leadership but he is no longer there and they hope to replace him with several guys. One of the players they are hoping can fill Pierce's void is Alan Anderson who is entering his first season in Washington. Anderson is currently dealing with an ankle injury and is in danger of missing the start of training camp, according to J. Michael of CSN Washington.
Anderson is reportedly dealing with soreness and strength issues in his left ankle right now. Last season Anderson underwent surgery to remove bone spurs from the ankle and although he hasn't gotten another procedure done he still isn't fully recovered. Anderson may participate in some individual drills early on in training camp but the Wizards plan to be cautious with him and not rush the soon to be 33 year old back.
Anderson signed a one year $4 million contract with the Wizards this offseason after two years with the Brooklyn Nets. Anderson is expected to get minutes as the backup small forward behind Otto Porter and should be good to go by the start of the regular season. Washington is already going to be missing Jared Dudley, who had back surgery, possibly until December so if Anderson's recovery were to take longer than expected rookie Kelly Oubre and Martell Webster would likely be in line for minutes as the backup.
Anderson is an extremely tough player who has played injured a lot over the years. Anderson is solid on defense and is also no slouch on offense so he will be a welcome piece for Washington. In two years with the Nets, mostly coming off the bench, Anderson averaged 7.3 points and 2.5 rebounds in 23.1 minutes per game. Anderson also shot 42 percent from the field and 34 percent from three in his two seasons in Brooklyn.
