Last season, Juan Toscano-Anderson became one of the Warriors’ breakout players. He gradually earned more and more playing time, developing into a high-energy wing who was capable of doing a little bit of everything, from scoring to passing to defense. By the end of the season, the Warriors could generally be counted on to win the minutes during which he was on the floor. This season, assuming he stays healthy, his increased experience means that he is likely to be an even more valuable piece of the team. With the regular season fast approaching, it is worth taking a look at how he might be used during the 2021-2022 campaign.

On offense, expect to see an expanded version of the role he played last season. He averaged 20.9 minutes per game in 2020-2021 and, while he isn’t currently projected to be a starter, that number is still likely to go up. Furthermore, Steve Kerr should put the ball in Toscano-Anderson’s hands more and give him more freedom to make decisions. As he enters his second full season with the Warriors, he is becoming increasingly familiar with their system. Last season, he showed flashes of the offensive skills expected out of Golden State’s wing players: using ball movement to keep the offense flowing, being enough of a ball handler to keep the opposing defense honest and knocking down the occasional jumper. The Warriors now trust him to do each of these things even more.

He also could be more heavily featured in the high-screen-and-roll plays that the Warriors use on occasion. Typically, it involves Stephen Curry bringing the ball up the court. Draymond Green sets a screen on Curry’s defender while Curry is still well beyond the three-point line. Curry’s defender and Green’s defender both trap Curry to prevent him from getting free. Green then rolls off the screen, Curry feeds him the ball and Green has room to operate and break down the defense in what is now a four-on-three situation. Toscano-Anderson took Green’s place on this play from time to time last year, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him do it with more frequency this year. He has shown an ability to consistently make correct decisions with the ball in advantage scenarios and can use that to generate points for the team while also relieving Green of some of the offensive load.

Defensively, Toscano-Anderson is known for his aggressive hustling style, ability to defend multiple positions and smarts. This season, he should provide much of the same, but with a slightly different emphasis on who he is guarding. Although he clearly has defensive versatility, Toscano-Anderson has been more likely to hold his own against a perimeter player than a big man in the past. However, he spent much of the offseason strengthening up, as he put on about 10 pounds of muscle. In addition to general conditioning, this is likely in preparation for the increased amount of time he will spend playing defense in the post. As Kerr has indicated he will use small ball more often this season than last, he probably expects that his team’s small forwards will be spending a large portion of their minutes at power forward. Toscano-Anderson is a part of that group, so look for him to guard bigger players a lot more in the upcoming year.

Juan Toscano-Anderson is one of the Warriors’ most interesting players both on and off the court, and his journey to his current standing in the NBA provides one of Golden State’s best stories. So it is all the more exciting that he is projected to have an increasingly important role on the team. By the time the 2021-2022 season is complete, his performance could serve as one of the major determining factors for the Warriors’ level of success as a whole.

(Photo credit: Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)