Kyle Anderson is a special type of player, where he isn't elite at any one thing (maybe change of pace), but he's very good at many aspects of the game. His stats will never jump off the page, regardless of the role he's in. But he's an extremely impactful player for a playoff team, and it goes beyond basketball skill -- his leadership is unmatched.
With Anderson now in the fold, he will be an extension of Chris Finch on the basketball court, like he was during his first tenure here. He gets things organized, he points at where players need to be, and he has excellent communication on both sides of the ball.
He essentially plugs the "Mike Conley leadership role"
After Kyle Anderson left the Timberwolves two offseasons ago to sign a three-year deal with the Golden State Warriors, the Wolves looked to Mike Conley to provide the on-court leadership and to be an adult on the court. That worked fine last year, but this season, with Conley's play falling off a cliff, the leadership wasn't worth the negative product on the court.
Kyle Anderson is different; he's only 32, and despite receiving DNPs in Utah, that wasn't a fault of his, just more so the direction the Jazz were going in, but when he was on the court, he produced. He provides switchability on defense, some unorthodox shot creation, and playmaking out of the point forward position.
The Wolves' offense needs more structure
In high-pressure situations, the Timberwolves tend to resort to an isolation-heavy brand of basketball. Both Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle are guilty of this. Sometimes, it's warranted. If one of them is hot, you want to continue to feed the hot hand, but there are other times when iso-ball isn't working, but it's all the Wolves know.
This is where Anderson can come in. He's not only a guy who can be in Ant and Randle's ear telling them to move the ball, but he's also someone who thrives with the ball in his hand while being a willing passer.
Kyle Anderson is never going to look to score 20 points, but he excels at spraying the ball to shooters and finding cutters, giving the Wolves offense some much-needed structure. He's also someone the locker room has a high respect for, so if he's imploring the Wolves to play a certain way, the players are likely to listen.