Pelicans' Ryan Anderson overcomes tragedy, injury
Ryan Anderson is smiling again. Not one of the half-hearted, forced smiles for the sake of social niceties.
The smile is of happiness, appreciation and contentment. It’s a place that took the New Orleans Pelicans forward time to rediscover following the suicide of his girlfriend in August of 2013 and a serious, season-ending neck injury midway through the 2013-14 season.
“In life, you’re going to go through something difficult. Maybe it’s not suicide but life is hard sometimes,” Anderson said. “I have a perspective that’s so valuable now, and it makes things matter more. It measures the strength that you have.”
That joy and perspective, along with other important contributing factors such as coaching and teammates, has propelled the 27-year-old Anderson to one of the best scoring stretches of his eight-year NBA career.
In the Pelicans’ past five games, Anderson has scored 24, 30, 30, 29 and 20 points, marking the first stretch of his career with 20 or more points in five consecutive games. He’s averaging 19.3 points and 6.9 rebounds and shooting 48.4% from the field and 39.1% on threes — 16-for-35 on threes in those five games — this season.
“I just feel comfortable, I feel good,” Anderson told reporters. “I feel like we're all kind of getting in a rhythm and playing together and moving the ball. I’m taking open shots. We're moving the ball to find the right guys and they found me within this offense. We're just getting it. I just feel good now.”
Anderson’s ability to stretch the floor from three-point range is also creating more opportunities for Pelicans forward Anthony Davis, who had 78 points 54 rebounds in three consecutive victories. The injury-hampered Pelicans are starting to show signs of redeeming themselves after a poor start to the season.
At 4-11, the Pelicans have a solvable predicament. But it won’t be easy in the Western Conference and with their injuries. That’s why Anderson’s play is so important for New Orleans. Coach Alvin Gentry’s style of pushing the offensive tempo and creating shots for shooters fits Anderson’s skillset, and with attention paid to Davis and Eric Gordon, Anderson should get shots.
“Ryan’s really scoring the basketball. But where he’s really helped us is that he’s really improved defensively,” Gentry told reporters. “His rebounding and physicality that he plays with has been the things that have helped us the most.
Anderson called last season “a letdown year,” one in which he said, “I didn’t have my legs under me a lot, and it was hard. I wasn’t able to get down the court quickly and get open shots. I didn’t shoot the ball like I wanted to and didn’t score or defend like I wanted to.
“I was coming off seasons with pretty difficult summers for me — obviously coming from an injury and everything with my girlfriend the year before that. Life hit me hard in those summers, and I’m supposed to come back for the season and just be thrown into the mix?”
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After last season, Anderson needed a respite. He took a three-week European vacation to Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Ibiza.
“I’m still in my 20s, I’m not married and I want to enjoy myself,” Anderson said. “I went on a great trip to Europe. It was good to get away.”
He was joined by Jeff Withey of the Utah Jazz. The pair became friends during two seasons together with the Pelicans. Withey saw Anderson’s pain and sorrow, and he saw Anderson’s joy.
“The guy’s been through so much,” Withey said. “He was able to persevere and continue his journey. He started to see that life could be beautiful again even though there is a lot of heartache and crazy things that happen in this world.”
Anderson returned to the U.S. and began working out, getting stronger and losing weight. He watched food documentaries Forks Over Knives, Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and Fed Up, and they altered the way he ate. He limited carbs and loosely followed a Paleo diet.
“This summer was the first time I was really able to train and really focus on my diet and my health and getting stronger and getting more explosive,” Anderson said. “I felt about 45 years old the past couple of seasons with just a lot weighing on me. This season, I’ve lost weight and I’m focused on living more of a healthy lifestyle as far as eating and mixing that with great training.”
It has translated into a rekindled zeal for basketball.
“Basketball can be so frustrating but there’s something that drives you to keep coming back,” Anderson said. “For me, it is that love and passion for the game. I appreciate it so much. That’s how I feel. I’m grateful and appreciative for what I have.”