It’s more than just the ring for Juan Toscano-Anderson when he heads back to Chase Center on Opening Night. This time he heads to the arena as a Los Angeles Laker after winning his championship with the Golden State Warriors last year.
While the rest of the Lakers will be suiting up and hoping they can play spoilsport after the Warriors ring ceremony, Toscano-Anderson will be collecting his piece of jewelry first. But for the forward, the win against his former team comes as a priority.
According to Silver Screen And Roll, the 29-year-old who signed with Los Angeles in the offseason stressed that he was hungry for a win, while also outlining the challenge they had to vault while playing the defending champions. (via Spectrum SportsNet)
“Obviously it’s a big night for myself and for Golden State, something that I definitely want to enjoy. But I’m a Laker now, I want to go in there and kick their butts. That’s the ultimate goal is to start off the season on the right foot and go into Golden State, which is a tough place to win. You know, I’ve played many games in Chase, I know how tough it is to win there, I know how their fans are, and they’re an amazing team, so I would like to go in there and get a win, that would be better than the ring, to be honest.”
“It would feel much sweeter to go in there, get my ring and win, and feel good about the win itself, but feel confident moving forward in the season. Beating Golden State, it’s a big deal, they’re a great team. They’re the champions. And so that would be much sweeter than anything else, getting my ring and enjoying doing that with my family, but capping it off with a win at Golden State.”
How much of an impact Toscano-Anderson can have coming off the bench remains to be seen. He’s been a Warrior since 2020 and that would mean knowing enough about the side to perhaps get a win that the Lakers could use to get their campaign off on a solid note.
Juan Toscano-Anderson Highlighted Klay Thompson’s Impact On Golden State
Soon after his signing as a Laker, one of the questions that were asked to the Oakland player was if he would get more opportunities a Los Angeles to show his mettle, and his answer gave an inkling of what it was to be a Laker, and how the locker room had an impact with Klay Thompson in the mix.
Despite the fact that he wants to do well against his former team, it’s clear there is definitely no bad blood when Toscano-Anderson spoke to NBC Sports about his time at the Bay.
“I want to tread lightly when I answer that question because I don’t believe I was hindered in Golden State. I think the difference between [Los Angeles] and Golden State is that there are a lot of new faces here. Pretty much the whole roster, more or less, is new, and so we’re all trying to figure it out and figure out where we get in.”
“The thing about Golden State is, Klay Thompson has been there 10 years. When Klay Thompson comes back, it doesn’t matter who’s there, you have to move out of the way.”
The forward averaged 7.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 16 games as a starter in 2020-21, and while he may not necessarily start every game for Los Angeles, he will be pivotal for the side in the non-LeBron James and Anthony Davis minutes. It will be a day of mixed emotions for Toscano-Anderson on October 18 when he finds himself against his old team.
