Juan Toscano-Anderson had to take a long way around to get to the NBA. JTA went undrafted in 2015, after which he spent some time playing in Mexico and Venezuela, before finally getting a chance with Golden State’s G League affiliate team, the Santa Cruz Warriors in 2018.
Toscano-Anderson would impress during his time there, which led to the Warriors bringing him into the fold and he proved to be a solid role player for them. The Lakers were clearly impressed with what they saw from JTA, as they signed him very early on in free agency as part of their efforts to revamp their bench unit.
Juan Toscano-Anderson Explains The Difference In Playing For The Lakers Rather Than The Warriors
He has already gotten to play against his old team in the preseason and JTA will also be present on ring night, as the Warriors commence their season against the Lakers. It will be a special moment for him, but he’ll be looking to spoil the party by helping his new team get the win. He also recently explained the difference between playing for the Lakers rather than the Warriors.
“The Lakers are like Jay Z”
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“The Lakers are like Jay Z. Longevity, everybody knows that Jay Z is the great and that’s kinda like what the Lakers are. They’ve been so good for so long. They are like THE team in the NBA. It’s kinda like what the Cowboys are to the NFL and the Warriors, they just got good 10 years ago. I can say that because I’ve been a Warriors fan my whole life. I used to go to Warriors games when they was giving out free tickets and so it’s just a little different.”
“The Lakers have had longevity of success and I think the standard and the idea of success here in LA has been different over a long course of time than it has for the Warriors. The Warriors have just turned that leaf to where it’s like ‘Okay if we don’t win a championship it was (an) underachieving season.’ and I think that’s what it is here in LA, like it’s either championship or bust here and that’s why it’s the city of champions. So I think that’s just the difference, just the longevity in regards to success.”
The Lakers are the top dog in the NBA regardless of how they perform on the court and it speaks to the success they have had over the years, that they remain relevant no matter what. It is what the Warriors aspire to be, but it will be a while before they get to that point.
These two teams are trending in opposite directions right now though, as the Warriors continue to be on the rise while the Lakers are stumbling yet again. Golden State just signed both Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole to long-term extensions while LA’s struggles can be summed up by Richard Jefferson claiming that LeBron James’ son Bronny James would be the second-best shooter on the Lakers roster at the moment.
