NBA G League Alum Juan Toscano-Anderson Is A Big Plus For The Warriors' Culture
Bay Area native Juan Toscano-Anderson has gone from kid camper to NBA starter and is now providing the Golden State Warriors with an injection of enthusiastic play on both ends.
The key to success for many G League alums in the NBA is finding a way to make positive contributions beyond the obvious expectations. As a complementary piece, what else can one do besides pour in the points?
Juan Toscano-Anderson seems to have demonstrated his value by scoring one in the “team culture” column.
The Bay Area native who grew up going to Warriors Basketball Academy as a kid is now repping his hometown team. The organization spotted him at an open tryout for the minor league-affiliated Santa Cruz Warriors during the fall of 2018. Toscano-Anderson went on to enjoy that close-to-home cooking for nearly two seasons, appearing in 74 games for Santa Cruz before getting called up by Golden State in February. A 16 point effort on February 23 represented a high point for him, but his campaign was cut short due to the pandemic.
The Marquette alum said playing in an area so close to home helped friends and family fill the stands (even in Santa Cruz) relatively often. Such a presence resulted in an enthusiastic effort on the court.
“I’ve been a Warriors fan my whole life. It was very cool as a kid to be involved in an official team camp,” he said last season. “That jump-started everything. To have an opportunity to suit up for your hometown team in front of your family, that’s the whipped cream and the cherry on top of getting to play in the NBA. It’s something you never forget.”
Now in his second season with Golden State, Toscano-Anderson is not only a staple for the local community, but a surprising constant on a team adjusting to several key roster changes from last season and another demoralizing injury to Klay Thompson. Even dating back to his minor league days, the forward has had a chance to acclimate himself to the Warriors’ system. He’s familiar with Stephen Curry. Above all else, he puts the team’s goals above any individual need or desire to fill up the stat-sheet.
Toscano-Anderson’s a fighter. He’s used to grinding, as evidenced by the path he’s carved out for himself. He hustles and thrives on defense and hard-fought rebounds. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has called out such effort, even likening Toscano-Anderson’s skill set to that of Draymond Green, for whom he’s currently filling in for with Golden State’s starting five.
"He's a little bit like Draymond [Green] in that his brain is on high alert at all times at both ends of the floor. I'm a huge fan. He absolutely belongs in this league. As long as Draymond is out, he's going to play,” Kerr said (via NBC Sports).
Toscano-Anderson is averaging a modest 3.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 17.3 minutes through his team’s first four contests, but it’s worth noting that he did boast a plus/minus of +15 — third best on the squad — in the Warriors’ most recent win over Detroit on December 29.
Even during his time in Santa Cruz, Toscano-Anderson prioritized winning and a team culture above everything else. He stood out for his effort, and thus, it didn’t matter what assignee or Two-Way player may have joined Santa Cruz on a nightly basis. He “only” averaged 9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals through two seasons, but his numbers saw increases across the board from one season to the next. He improved in points, rebounds, assists, and steals per game. His field goal percentage rose from 44% to 50%, and he was keeping improvement areas in mind as well.
“I’m a versatile player who can play multiple positions. I’m working on tightening up my game. The game is changing and everyone is shooting the long ball,” he said while awaiting that coveted NBA Call-Up. “I want to show I can do that. I want to play at the next level and I feel like the more things you do and the more positions you play, the more opportunities you’ll have. I’m just trying to expand my palate.”
Golden State was watching. In year one, he put in that necessary development time. In year two, he proved he was ready. Now in year three, Toscano-Anderson’s steadily on the NBA stage.
At 27 years old, he has added maturity and has seemingly required less of a learning curve than most. There’s no doubt Toscano-Anderson’s time in the NBA G League (not to mention, Santa Cruz specifically) provided a foundation for him to excel.
Still, he deserves credit for buying in. Golden State deserves credit for identifying the kind of player they want in their program. His overall fit goes beyond statistics. What he brings to the locker room, his dedication and positive demeanor, paired with his passion for the little things on the court, make this homegrown talent someone to invest in.
Basketball is a business. As the Warriors finalized their roster for this season, the 27 year old was waived from his standard contract and subsequently brought back on a Two-Way deal. Some may consider that more of a housekeeping issue than a loss of faith, but it’ll need to be revisited should Toscano-Anderson reach the allocated 50 game maximum.
Of course, that’ll be a good problem to have. In the meantime, there’s some extra fire lit under JTA. But if his early impact is any indication, he’s already doing all the right things for the betterment of Warriors’ culture.