Justin Anderson knows he must improve to mesh with Sixers
The small forward is hitting only 26.5 percent of his three-point shots.
Justin Anderson doesn't like what he sees on the stat sheet.
The 76ers small forward is shooting just 26.5 percent on three-pointers in his 23 games with the team.
Anderson knows his long-range shooting must change if he is to fit in next season when Ben Simmons (right foot surgery) and Joe Embiid (left knee) return to action.
"I have to start to prepare myself to be a high-level shooter for those guys," said Anderson, whose Sixers suffered a 120-111 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Monday at the Wells Fargo Center. "They need guys that are able to spot up and shoot. I already have the athleticism to cut off them and play off them in that sense.
"I'm a better shooter than what my percentages are showing right now."
Anderson had another rough shooting night as the Sixers (28-53) extended their losing streak to seven games. They finished with a 17-24 record at home.
He made 1 of 4 shots and scored six points. He was 0 for 2 on three-pointers.
Anderson failed to pick up a rebound or an assist in 21 minutes. He missed his first three shots before making a 16-foot jumper with 2:41 left in the third quarter.
"So I can't wait to show [improved shooting] this whole summer," Anderson said.
He's still living in a hotel after his trade to the Sixers on Feb. 23. So the second-year player will look for an apartment and take some much-needed rest. Then he plans to get after it.
"I will make sure I'll do it the right way, because I'm going to change my body completely and change a lot of things to this summer to play at this fast pace that we like to play," he said.
The 6-foot-6, chiseled 229-pounder wants to get down to 220 to 225 pounds. He knows that he'll need to be in tip-top shape to play at a high level in the Sixers' up-tempo system.
"I want to shred up and be the best that I can be, man," he said.