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Former Orlando forward Ryan Anderson is looking for a comeback year with Pelicans.
When Ryan Anderson walked off the Amway Center floor following the New Orleans Pelicans’ shootaround Wednesday morning, his face almost immediately contorted into a wide smile.
His reaction stemmed from seeing some familiar faces from his three-year Orlando Magic tenure and from being in Orlando, a city he loves and never wanted to leave.
But there was something else at work, too: Anderson feels as healthy mentally and physically as he’s felt in two years.
He endured an unbearable stretch, beginning in August 2013, when his girlfriend, Gia Allemand, committed suicide. A few months later, on Jan. 3, 2014, Anderson collided with a Boston Celtics player and suffered a terrifying neck injury. His herniated disk forced him to miss the remainder of the 2013-14 season and also prevented him from beginning last season in good physical shape.
On Wednesday, however, he looked slim, fit and — above all else — happy.
“I had a few rough summers in a row,” Anderson said. “So, for me, just having some time to actually work on my body [was helpful]. I had a great summer just to clear my mind.”
Over the summer, Anderson, a 6-foot-10 power forward, traveled and spent time with family to rejuvenate himself mentally and dieted, did strength work and focused on conditioning to improve himself physically.
“I think he’s been great,” Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. “I think he came in probably in the best shape he’s been in his whole career.”
Anderson is looking to have a comeback year after his minutes, point and rebounding totals and 3-point shooting accuracy all dropped last season.
“The basketball part of it is coming back,” Anderson said. “I feel I’m in a good place.”
Lineup thoughts
Magic coach Scott Skiles hasn’t settled on a starting lineup to begin the season, but ideally, he’d like to keep the lineup from the regular-season opener the same for subsequent games. That would foster continuity within the team’s playing rotation and help players settle into defined roles.
But the real world often throws teams a curve.
“If you’re 0-5, you’re changing,” Skiles said. “You probably changed at 0-3. So it all depends on how we start and how guys are playing at that point.”