ORLANDO, Fla. — Alan Anderson was the 15th and final player Nets general manager Billy King signed this summer to round out the team’s roster. But two games into the regular season, it already is clear Anderson wasn’t signed to watch from the bench.
As he had in the season opener, Anderson played more minutes than any player off the bench Friday night, and he contributed eight points, four rebounds and a blocked shot in 25:29 during the Nets’ 101-100 victory over the two-time defending champion Heat at Barclays Center.
“We needed a strong bench,” Anderson said of the sales pitch the Nets gave him this summer. “That’s what [general manager] Billy King and [coach Jason] Kidd told me, that they needed a strong bench.
“That’s what wrong with a lot of championship teams … not everybody accepts their role. Not everybody is a starter, not everybody is a star player. I know I’m not a starter, but I don’t mind coming off the bench. That’s what I knew, that’s what they told me and I’m just here ready for whenever my number is called.
“It might not be every night, but when it is I’ll be ready.”
So far, so good for Anderson, who seems to be firmly inside the Nets’ rotation even as Andrei Kirilenko continues to see his minutes increase after missing the final two weeks of training camp and the season opener with back spasms.
A big reason for that is Anderson’s versatility. When Shaun Livingston got into early foul trouble Wednesday in Cleveland and Deron Williams was saddled with a minutes limit, Anderson was the pick to fill in at point guard. That’s in addition to his ability to play shooting guard and small forward, a pair of spots where Anderson spent plenty of time throughout Friday’s win over the Heat.
“It lets us be more comfortable out there,” Anderson said of the team’s ability to move pieces around. “Every guy is interchangeable. I might play point, but [Kirilenko] might bring up the ball.
“So as long as we’re talking and working hard, we already know what everybody can do individually. That’s why we’re here. But now we have to put everything together.”
Anderson was just one piece of a bench that showed its potential Friday. Paul Pierce led the team in minutes with 31, while no other player played more than 27, and 10 players logged at least 11 minutes.
It was the kind of performance that shows the Nets aren’t going to have to wear out their stars during the six month-long regular season, which should give them every opportunity to have their team as healthy and fresh as possible when the postseason rolls around.
“I think that’s the reason why we put this team together,” Anderson said. “We’re an older team. Everybody knows that. But we’re a deep team, also.
“We don’t really want guys to have to play 30, 35, 40 minutes. Some teams need that, but it’s a long season. When you have guys coming off the bench that can be consistent and give our starting five a rest, that’s going to help us a lot more and give us a lot more confidence.”