#Justin Anderson sheds light on his mysterious Nets status

The Nets have been tighter-lipped than the CIA about Justin Anderson. But the young forward shed some light on his own status, saying he’s quarantining in Orlando with expectations of rejoining the team when he’s cleared.

Anderson went on the Virginia basketball podcast “J Willy Show” on Monday and accepted congratulations on joining the Nets. Granted, they haven’t signed him yet; but considering he gets daily practice updates from Joe Harris and is reportedly the replacement for Wilson Chandler, it strains credulity to think a deal isn’t in the offing.

“I just got to Orlando (Sunday), following protocol. I had a negative test, waiting on the next result. I have to get another one,” said Anderson, 27, currently quarantining in an Orlando-area hotel.

“Very strict protocol, but it’s all worth it just to make sure entering the bubble everything is clean and clear for everybody who’s already in there, and myself as well. So I’m back in Orlando right now.”

Anderson spent most of the season in the G League, first with Toronto’s affiliate Raptors 905 and then with the Long Island Nets. He averaged 20.6 points and 6.6 rebounds to earn All-NBA G League honors, and even got a 10-day contract with Brooklyn.

After getting 17 minutes of garbage time during that 10-day deal, Anderson went back to the G League. When the coronavirus pandemic hit, he tried to stay in shape and stay on the NBA’s radar.

When the Nets got decimated by coronavirus — Spencer Dinwiddie, DeAndre Jordan and Taurean Prince tested positive, and Chandler opted out over Covid-19 concerns — Anderson got a call from agent Mark Bartelstein that he was getting a shot with Brooklyn.

“It was a long process,” Anderson said. “I was in Atlanta training, talking to Mark. And Mark said the season is a go as of now; we just have to figure out a team and a roster spot. He said there’s a few teams interested.

“Brooklyn swept in late with Wilson Chandler recognizing he wasn’t going to go down and play. They came in late. They weren’t even a part of that list actually, but they came in given the experience I had with the team already with the G League with the Long Island Nets and my 10-day contract there. They saw some potential for me helping them in the playoff push. I remember getting the call; I woke up, my agent Mark said we found a team, somebody wants us. We’re going to Brooklyn.”

A University of Virginia teammate of Harris, Anderson was speaking remotely with Mark Jerome and Cavaliers assistant Jason Williford, who recruited him to UVA.

And Anderson spoke about Harris, saying his once-and-future teammate has kept him in the loop, and has gone through his own undetermined issue but is now 100% in time for the NBA restart.

“It was public that he experienced some stuff early on, and he’s actually very happy he went through what he went through sooner rather than later, so he’s able to thrive. He’s been feeling good,” said Anderson.

“He’s the one that’s been keeping me in the loop and keeping me updated on what’s going on, in practice we just played, how’s your body feeling, this is some of the stuff we’ve been talking about doing. So it’s good to have some sort of intel to keep me in the loop, and keep me prepared so when I get to the Bubble I can hit the ground running, have a little bit of advantage and not feel like I’m playing catch up.”