Getty Juan Toscano-Anderson and Steph Curry celebrate after a win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Speaking to reporters a week ago, Golden State Warriors swingman Juan Toscano-Anderson admitted that it was frustrating to be stuck playing limited minutes near the end of the rotation.
This week, Warriors coach Steve Kerr found the right situation to call on Toscano-Anderson to play a bigger role — a “dogfight” contest against an Eastern Conference contender. Toscano-Anderson provided an important spark in the team’s 116-96 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday, a game that may have provided more clarity on how Kerr plans to use Toscano-Anderson this season.
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Kerr Needed Swingman in ‘Dogfight’
Early in the game against the Sixers, the Warriors looked to be on track for a blowout loss. Philadelphia stretched the lead as large as 19 points, and Kerr said he knew the team needed a spark. As Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area noted, that was exactly what the energetic Toscano-Anderson provided. He turned in in 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting, adding six rebounds, six assists and two blocks.
“When we are in a game like tonight, that’s kind of a dogfight, he’s the guy you put out there,” Kerr said.
Toscano-Anderson had a pair of big dunks, including one midway through the fourth quarter as the Warriors were seizing control of the contest and pulling away from the Sixers. After the game, his teammates spoke about the energy that Toscano-Anderson brought to the floor.
OH MY GOD JUAN TOSCANO ANDERSON t.co/7lNmp5tRLl
“You feel a different spirit because of how much it means to him and how he knows he can influence and impact games and the fact he is always ready to do that,” said Steph Curry. “Anybody can kind of skill their way into it with some flashiness and all that type of stuff, and he just has that dog in him that comes out and is contagious. We feed off of that.”
Toscano-Anderson Embraces Reserve Role
With a tight rotation that will only grow more complicated when Klay Thompson and James Wiseman return, the game may have shed some light on the way Kerr intends to use Toscano-Anderson later in the season. Just a few days before the Sixers win, Toscano-Anderson showed a bit of frustration with his lack of playing time but said he understood his role and was grateful to have a spot on the team after working his way up from the G League.
Here’s Juan Toscano-Anderson on the frustration of being out of the rotation, maintaining perspective and answering when called upon, like tonight in Cleveland
“I think the only difficult part is just having the desire to play. I love this game. This is my life right here. I put so much effort and, you know, emotion into this game, so I just always want to play,” Toscano-Anderson said. “But at the end of the day, I’m an adult and I’m understanding of what my job and what my role is on this team, and I’m accepting of it. I could sit here and pout about it, but what good is that gonna do?”
“It’s all about perspective man,” he added. “I could be anywhere else in the world, I could be on any other team. I could be on a losing team. S***, I could be back in the G League. But I’m on the best team in the NBA, my hometown team, I get to play with Hall of Famers. Perspective, man.”
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