Steve Kerr had seen enough.
At halftime of Thursday’s contest against the undermanned Cleveland Cavaliers, the Warriors coach was looking for a spark. So he looked to Juan Toscano-Anderson. Though he didn’t play a minute in the first half, Toscano-Anderson helped ignite Golden State’s scintillating fourth-quarter comeback in Thursday’s 104-89 win.
Despite struggling in the third quarter with two late turnovers and a 3-point shooting foul, Toscano-Anderson came to life in the fourth. He grabbed three quick rebounds while setting the tone with his energy in an absurd 36-8 final period by the Warriors. JTA finished with seven points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal in 16 minutes off the bench.
“I always tell Juan,” Draymond Green said. “Obviously, the minutes are up-and-down, but when the game’s get tough, that’s when your name is going to get called. Tonight we couldn’t get any traction on the defensive end and his number was called and he was ready.”
Toscano-Anderson posted an impressive +21 plus/minus on the evening.
“His energy was contagious,” Warriors star Steph Curry said.
In the three games before Thursday night, Toscano-Anderson’s minutes dried up. With the ascent of rookie Jonathan Kuminga to the rotation, JTA was knocked further down the bench. He didn’t get down on the situation, though.
“I always want to play,” Toscano-Anderson said. “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 that. I could sit here and pout about it, but what good is that going to do?”
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Toscano-Anderson said he recently received a phone call from his brother that helped keep his professional challenges in perspective.
“I get to sit here and I get to live out my dream,” Toscano-Anderson said. “I got a call from my brother actually yesterday. Not to go into detail, but it was a very serious call, life-changing call for my family. I’m sitting here and sometimes I’m upset I don’t get to play. But my brother, who’s that close to me, has to deal with real-life s--t and here I am complaining about basketball. I’ve been through tougher stuff in my life. I would be a fool to sit here and complain about not playing after I’ve worked hard and been through everything I’ve been through.”
After playing overseas and working his way up the ranks through the G League, Toscano-Anderson secured a guaranteed contract from his hometown team last season. Kuminga and Gary Payton II may be eating into his minutes, but JTA clearly still has some value for this squad.
As good as Toscano-Anderson was Thursday night, Damion Lee actually led the Warriors with a +30 plus/minus. Lee scored all 11 of his points in the fourth quarter. Nemanja Bjelica (14 points) and Payton (six points) also sparked the Warriors in the first half off the bench.
