This NBA season has been very taxing for the Golden State Warriors. After losing their starting shooting guard and multiple-time All-Star Klay Thompson to injury on the day of the 2020 NBA Draft, many of the team’s high expectations were tapered.
Within this situation, many of the other Warrior players would have to step up if the team was to have any success. One of the players that have is the second-year two-way player Juan Toscano-Anderson.
Due to those standout performances, the Warriors have awarded him by removing the two-status he was known for.
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Warriors Sign Toscano-Anderson to Standard Contract
GettySteph Curry congratulates Juan Toscano-Anderson during a game against the Dallas Mavericks.
If you’re looking at just statistics then Toscano-Anderson isn’t someone that would come to mind first. On the season he only averages 5.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
However, his energy has become something that is unmatched. He’s constantly hustling for loose balls, guarding the opposing team’s best player, and finding himself in the right places to receive passes for offensive scores.
Due to this, and the fire he helps bring to the team, the Warriors are bumping him up from a two-way contract to a standard NBA contract. In speaking on what it means to him to be a part of the Golden State organization moving, Toscano-Anderson discussed his origins and how it means “everything” to him.
“This is where my heart is. I’m an East Oakland kid, I’m a Warrior,” Toscano-Anderson said to a group of reporters via ESPN. “The Warriors mean everything to me and now I’m on this team. It’s a storybook, it’s a movie, I don’t know, whatever you want to call it.”
“It’s just a life-changing contract, a life-changing signature,” Toscano-Anderson said of putting the pen on his contract. “I grew up going to games, so it gave me dreams. From a very young kid, I always wanted to walk into Oracle [Arena] onto that court donning an NBA jersey. I never imagined I would be wearing a Warrior jersey.”
He even had time to call his mother during the signing in what’s become an emotional and viral moment.
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Toscano-Anderson Has Steve Kerr’s Backing
GettySAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 01: Jusuf Nurkic #27 of the Portland Trail Blazers goes up for a shot against Juan Toscano-Anderson #95 of the Golden State Warriors.
As great as this moment is Toscano-Anderson wouldn’t be here without putting it all on the floor every single time. As he’s done so it takes those in charge, such as his coach Steve Kerr, to notice this and continue to implement him within games.
After Toscano-Anderson’s signing, coach Kerr elaborated on what it meant for him to see this happen and how rewarding it is.
“It feels great for me, I can only imagine how great it feels for Juan and his family,” Kerr said to a group of reporters via ESPN. “But he’s earned this. He’s done everything we’ve asked and more. He just brings energy and juice to every moment that he comes into the game. … It’s great to see Juan rewarded, and I think he’s got a long career ahead of him. His story’s amazing, and you love stories like this.”
If Toscano-Anderson is able to keep up this level of play next season he may be a bigger part of the Warriors’ franchise for more than just two seasons.
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Warriors Officially Upgrade Key Role Player to Standard NBA Contract