4. Kyle Anderson. Rating: 75
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Let’s face it: UCLA point forward Kyle Anderson has been disappointing.
That’s not his fault, though. UCLA coach Ben Howland has severely misused and underutilized Kyle Anderson’s talents. Despite Anderson being recruited as a point guard of sorts, Ben Howland has been entirely sackless in allowing him to handle the ball while on the court. Instead, he’s left that for point guard Larry Drew II — one of Howland’s captains and, according to the oft-maligned head coach, the best point guard he’s ever had at UCLA — and though Drew II has done fine, he’s had as many bad games as he’s had good ones.
Meanwhile, Anderson is soiling away, playing the role of power forward, and though he’s done well with interior defense and staying active on boards, he’s not handling the offense the way he was supposed to. Again, this falls squarely on Howland.
Here’s to hoping the coach grows a pair and lets Anderson start running the offense.
5. Larry Drew II. Rating: 70
It’s hard to complain about Larry Drew II as a point guard considering he’s averaging 8.22 assists per game but the stat is misleading. He’s often earning these dimes because Howland’s offense is predicated on ball movement in the half-court set and Drew II often gets the last touch.
Beyond that, Drew II is a terrible shooter and is far from aggressive most trips down the court. He doesn’t penetrate particularly well and he’s made some serious mental mistakes, particularly against Texas in Houston.
While Drew II is a competent-enough point man, he’s not to be utilized the way he is and, instead, Anderson should be manning the point the majority of the time.