Kyle Anderson provides a spark to Wolves' offense, no matter where he plays

Forward played part of point guard Saturday, recording 10 assists in Minnesota's win.

The spotlight was on Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards after the Timberwolves’ victory over the Indiana Pacers on Saturday at Target Center. Rightfully so.

Towns and Edwards combined for 77 points as Minnesota cruised to a 127-109 win. But aside from the obvious huge performances from the dynamic duo, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch pointed to the team’s ball movement as a key to turning things around after a slow start.

“I thought key was nine and 10 assists by Mike (Conley) and Kyle (Anderson) … they did a good job of moving the ball the right way,” Finch said.

Conley recorded assist No. 6,000 during Saturday’s game and it’s not unusual to see him running the offense and dishing dimes as the team’s true starting point guard.

Anderson, on the other hand, is listed as a forward, but has shown the ability to play anywhere. He’s played the 3, the 4 and on Saturday, the 6-foot-9 forward was really stepping into more of a point guard role for Minnesota.

“I think that’s where I’m most comfortable, making decisions, getting guys the ball, getting guys involved,” Anderson said. “That’s just my natural position.”

While Anderson has been mostly relegated to the 3 this season, Finch praised his ability to run the offense and move the ball, regardless of where he’s playing.

“Ever since I’ve seen Kyle Anderson play, I just know he’s just really good with the ball in his hands,” Finch said. “No matter whether you play him — at the 4, the 3, the 1. … He has a great understanding of our set plays, kinda when to sprinkle those in too.”

Finch said Anderson fits well with all of the Timberwolves’ bigs, creating opportunities on the pick-and-roll whether it’s Towns, Naz Reid or Rudy Gobert on the court.

“It’s finding a rhythm with both big sets because I think one thing has been for (Anderson) is he’s played almost exclusively at the 3 for us this year, where the last few played a lot of the 4,” Finch said. “Certainly could do it all, but that but it also was important to make sure we kept him in the action.”

Anderson was certainly in the action on Saturday, his game-high 10 assists providing a big boost to the Wolves’ offense. And while Saturday night belonged to Towns and Edwards, Anderson’s fingerprints were all over Minnesota’s victory. 

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Minnesota Timberwolves forward Kyle Anderson (1) reacts after a basket during the second half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 8, 2023 :: Petre Thomas / USA TODAY Sports