One of the first signings the Los Angeles Lakers made this offseason was to bring in defensive-minded wing Juan Toscano-Anderson from the Golden State Warriors. While his numbers don’t jump off the page, Toscano-Anderson is regarded as a very good perimeter defender with the potential to develop into a very good role player if he can consistently knock down shots.
Of course coming from the Warriors, where he spent the first three seasons of his career, Toscano-Anderson was able to be a part of the NBA’s most successful franchise over the past decade. The Warriors have won four NBA Championships since 2015, including last year, which brought Toscano-Anderson his first ring. But even with all of that recent success, the Lakers wing can feel the difference now that he is in purple and gold.
Toscano-Anderson spoke with Sirius XM NBA Radio and discussed the differences between the Lakers and Warriors with the main one in his eyes being the Lakers’ sustained excellence over such a long period of time:
“You know I try to find the perfect analogy for it and maybe the better analogy I can come with is, the Lakers are like Jay-Z. Longevity, everybody knows that Jay-Z is like a great, the great, and that’s kind of 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. The Warriors, they just got good like 10 years ago, and I can say that because I’ve been a Warriors fan my whole life, I used to go to Warriors games when they were giving out free tickets.
“It’s just a little different, it’s kinda like, I don’t even really know how to explain it, I don’t even know how to put it in words. It’s just different the Lakers have had longevity of success and I think the standard and idea of success here in L.A. has been different over a long course of time then it has for the Warriors. The Warriors have kind of, not kind of they have just turned that leaf to where it’s like if we don’t win a championship it was an underachieving season and I think that’s what it is here in L.A. It’s either championship or bust here. I mean that’s why it’s the city of champions. So I think that’s the difference is just the longevity in regards of success.”
There is no doubt that the Warriors have been the best franchise in recent years, but the expectations that come with being a member of the Lakers are just unmatched across the league. Everything that someone does while wearing the purple and gold is just amplified exponentially, and the expectations are high for this team every year.
It is for this reason why everyone is simply not built to play for the Lakers. Toscano-Anderson understands this and he plans on thriving with his new team.
Toscano-Anderson hoping to create long-term role with Lakers
Heading into his fourth NBA season, Toscano-Anderson is looking to really establish himself as a player who will be around the NBA for a long time. With the Warriors he showed flashes of what he can be and in L.A. he hopes to stick around for a long time.
Toscano-Anderson spoke about wanting to play well individually so he can earn a long-term contract with the Lakers and show he isn’t just a fringe rotation player. But most important for him is helping the team win as he made it clear he is a team-first player.
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