Alan Anderson, 2014-15 regular season stats: 7.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 35% 3P%, 44% FG%, 23.6 minutes, 74 games

After Paul Pierce decided to join the Los Angeles Clippers with hopes of winning a championship in his hometown, the Washington Wizards had to find a way to replace his scoring. While Alan Anderson won’t fill the leadership nor popularity void left by Pierce, he has the tools to become a key piece for the team’s offense.

Anderson has been inefficient for most of his NBA career. He’s played virtually all over the world before he finally found some stability with the Brooklyn Nets over the past few seasons.

With that said, the Wizards are hoping that the volume scorer will have a breakout season in Washington — much like Trevor Ariza and Martell Webster did when they landed in the nation’s capital.

Anderson has never played with a true point guard, and while I wouldn’t expect him to start over Otto Porter, he’s still going to get plenty of court time with John Wall and Co.

Randy Wittman wants his team to play fast and small, so we’ll get to see Anderson share the floor with Wall, Bradley Beal, Porter and Marcin Gortat. Anderson is only 6’6″, but he’s big enough to guard most small-ball fours. At the very least, the Washington Wizards will be able to play him at the three along side Jared Dudley or Porter.

Inefficient scorers have never built great careers in Washington, so it’ll be very interesting to see how well Anderson performs for Wittman.

You could pencil Anderson in as the backup small-forward, but he’s still going to have some competition.

Webster and Kelly Oubre have both looked solid in training camp and obviously want a shot to play. In order to separate himself from the rest of the competition, Anderson has to display a versatile skill-set.

He has to knock down three point shots at a consistent rate, and more importantly, he can’t become a liability on the defensive end of the floor.

If things go according to plan — and I think they will — Alan Anderson should become the team’s sixth man this upcoming season.

The Washington Wizards didn’t add any high-profiled names this season, but adding someone like Anderson could really help them bolster their bench. He’s a crafty scorer and if he doesn’t try to do too much, Anderson is the prototypical 3-and-D forward. As long as he can hit the perimeter shot consistently, especially from the corner, he’s going to get plenty of playing time.

This year’s Wizards team has all the makings of a fantastic offensive club. Some might be worried about Anderson’s inefficiency, but the change of scenery should really help him.

Let’s face it: he no longer has to worry about taking tough shots. He’s not playing with Deron Williams and Joe Johnson. Wall and Beal will make sure that he gets open looks. It’s just a matter of knocking them down.

Perhaps more than anyone the Washington Wizards added this summer, I’m excited to see how well Anderson plays this year. Playing time will have to be earned and he’ll have to stay healthy, but he should become a fan favorite this upcoming season.