Spurs’ Anderson prepared for anything in make-or-break season

It has been more than three years since the Spurs made Kyle Anderson the 29th pick in the 2014 NBA draft.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich still doesn’t know what to do with the versatile forward known as “Slo-Mo.”

Popovich has made it something of his new season resolution to finally find it out.

“I’m going to try real hard for his sake,” Popovich said. “He deserves it. I’ve been remiss about figuring it out sooner.”

Anderson, 24, enters his fourth season facing a career at a crossroads.

Barring a contract extension before the Oct. 17 deadline, Anderson will become a free agent next summer.

He could use a big season, which means he could use a defined role.

At 6-foot-9, with the ball-handling and passing skills of a point guard, Anderson is capable of playing a variety of positions. So far, he has stuck at none.

“I know it can go up and down,” Anderson said of his role in the season to come. “There’s going to be moments when I’m active in the rotation and moments when the rotation doesn’t need me. I’m ready for anything, pretty much.”

With All-Star Kawhi Leonard sidelined with a quadriceps injury, Anderson has served as the Spurs’ starting small forward to start the preseason, which continues Friday with a rematch against Sacramento at the AT&T Center.

In the Spurs’ 100-96 road loss to the Kings earlier this week, Anderson turned in a typical, understated-but-productive “Slo-Mo” line: seven points, four rebounds and an assist in 19 minutes.

Anderson senses opportunity in Leonard’s absence.

“Whenever a key guy is out like that, it’s a ‘next-man-up’ mentality,” he said. “Be ready. Stay ready. Try to make some noise.”

That has been Anderson’s approach throughout a career that has so far been one of fits and starts.

In three seasons, he has appeared in 183 games, averaging 3.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists.

Project those numbers per-36 minutes, and it offers a glimpse of the box-score stuffer he was at UCLA: 9.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

In Anderson’s last game that counted — the series finale against Golden State in last season’s Western Conference finals — he had 20 points, seven rebounds, two assists and four steals off the bench.

“He’s a hell of a player,” veteran guard Manu Ginobili said. “He can give us a lot of things, with or without Kawhi. I’ve always trusted him.”

For Anderson, earning Popovich’s trust hasn’t always been as easy.

In a way, the versatility that made Anderson a potential draft-day steal has at times worked against him.

Popovich hasn’t been sure whether to use him at point guard, small forward or power forward. When Danny Green was hurt during training camp last season, Anderson became the Spurs’ opening-day starter at shooting guard.

The NBA’s small-ball revolution might at last turn in Anderson’s favor. With the Spurs seeming bent on employing more small-ball lineups this season, Anderson and newcomer Rudy Gay could share minutes at power forward in them.

In that, Anderson’s arc might mirror that of Boris Diaw, whose career didn’t take off until he moved to Phoenix and coach Mike D’Antoni made him a small-ball big man.

“A lot of teams are playing four smalls, and we have Rudy and him to play the four,” Ginobili said. “Kyle is a big key, because he can take people off the dribble and he can pass. He’s a very good player all around.”

Anderson spent the offseason working on a plethora of positions.

He worked on his catch-and-shoot game, which manifested itself in a confident corner 3-pointer in Monday’s preseason opener. He worked on his ball-handling and defense.

“I prepared to be successful,” Anderson said. “That’s not just me focusing on what I’ve got to do. It’s what I’ve got to do to help the team. That’s what comes first.”

That diligence has caught the eye of Popovich, who calls Anderson “a coach’s dream.”

Now it is up to Popovich to live up to his vow to find Anderson some kind of stability in the Spurs’ rotation.

Anderson knows this could be a make-or-break season for him. He is aiming for the former, head coach willing.

“It’s time,” Anderson said. “It’s a big year for me, definitely. I’m prepared for it, so I’m going in with confidence.”