The Interstate-35 corridor between Austin and San Antonio is 75 miles of booming suburbia, with tens of thousands of new Texans settling in between the two growing cities.
The drive may not be the most scenic, but there is the “World’s Largest Convenience Store” at Exit 191, a place called Buc-ee’s that features 120 gasoline pumps.
There are hopes for a rail project to connect Austin and San Antonio, so commuters wouldn’t have to spend as much time driving on I-35.
That would have been useful to Kyle Anderson a year ago.
He spent his rookie season going back and forth between San Antonio and the Spurs’ D-League affiliate in Austin, getting familiar with every highway exit in between.
“I know that drive like the back of my hand,” Anderson said. “That Buc-ee’s? Automatic stop.”
Assigned to Austin seven times for the season, Anderson’ trust in the Spurs coaching staff and his growth process never wavered as he shuttled up and down I-35. It isn’t always easy to see day-to-day progress, but Anderson said he could feel himself improving as long as he stayed patient.
Just before Summer League in July, coaches had Anderson watch tape of himself from his first days as a Spur in training camp. He couldn’t believe he was watching the same person.
“I feel like a totally different player,” Anderson said. “There isn’t anything you can point to, because everything about me and my game has changed in the past 12 months. When you see improvement like that, it only makes you work harder.”
He just turned 22 last month, but Anderson has grown up in the last year. Now at his second Spurs training camp, Anderson is no longer the lone rookie in awe of his teammates.
“Slow-Mo” has carved his own place in the locker room after an MVP performance at Las Vegas Summer League and an offseason of constant workouts at the Spurs practice facility.
“I’m probably at least 10, 15, maybe 100 times more comfortable in training camp this time around,” Anderson said. “That year under my belt has given me much more confidence.”
A 6-foot-9 point-forward drafted with the 30th overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft, Anderson was the only player on the Spurs’ 2014-15 opening day roster who hadn’t been with the team in the NBA Finals four months before.
He admitted he felt like the kid in the lineup, marveling at the fact that he was playing next to Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. When Anderson was born in September 1993, Duncan was a freshman in college.
Anderson watched the way his teammates conducted themselves. He watched the way they worked and learned how to be a pro.
“I’m still in awe sometimes, because I’m still learning from the veterans every day,” Anderson said. “I’m still soaking all of this in, and I’m not taking any of it for granted.”
In 33 games in San Antonio as a rookie, Anderson averaged 2.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.8 minutes played.
To give him more experience, Anderson made the trip up I-35 for 26 games with Austin Spurs, averaging 21.3 points and 8.7 rebounds.
“It’s been great to be able to witness him grow and develop in short space and time,” Patty Mills said. “You can see the potential of what he can add to the team and add individually down the line.”
Breakthroughs continued for Anderson in the offseason, as he continued daily workouts with assistants Chip Engelland and Chad Forcier at the Spurs practice facility.
Anderson said his main emphasis was on improving defensively, while he also worked on improving his shooting touch and increasing his range.
He emerged from the gym in July for Summer League in Las Vegas, where Anderson averaged 21 points, 6 rebounds and 1.9 assists to earn MVP honors as the Spurs won the Summer League title.
“Las Vegas was about applying the things I’ve worked on since Day One,” Anderson said. “I wanted to show all the hard work I’ve put in. “
As Anderson enters his second training camp, he and rookie Kiefer Sykes are the youngest Spurs on the roster. With a revamped Spurs roster after offseason turnover, Anderson joked that he’s “somewhat a veteran” now. He’s put in the time and the miles.
“It feels like it’s been a lot more than a year of progress,” Anderson said. “I have a lot more confidence, but I’m also keeping that edge because I need to keep improving. I’m not where we want me to be yet, and I’m going to keep working to get there.”
Twitter:@lornechan