Stephen Curry has been the shining star for the Golden State Warriors this season, putting up unbelievable performances on a near nightly basis and vaulting himself into the MVP discussion as he drags the Warriors to the play-in tournament. However, probably second on the list of Warriors that have brought joy to the fanbase this season is Juan Toscano-Anderson, as the young forward on a two-way has provided them with a little bit of everything this season and, most importantly, tremendous energy and effort.
The best example of that energy and effort came last week when he made a wild diving save, tumbling over the scorers table in Boston and hitting his head on a step behind the table.
Juan Toscano-Anderson is pure heart and hustle pic.twitter.com/hI8Y4zGr9Z
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 18, 2021
While he got a big ovation from his teammates, the fall was much scarier than most anyone knew, as JTA suffered a concussion and needed 35 stitches to close up a cut on the back of his head. On Friday night, Toscano-Anderson spoke with the media after his return to action in a win over Denver, and explained just how scary that fall was, noting he was “lucky to be here,” while maintaining he would and will make that same play again.
Finally had the chance to ask Juan Toscano-Anderson about that fall in Boston that gave him a concussion/cut needing 35 stitches. He details the “scary” situation here. pic.twitter.com/gCAc7XTkIg
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 24, 2021
It’s obviously good news that JTA’s injury wasn’t as severe as it could’ve been and hopefully he’s fully past any lingering effects of the concussion. The way he talks about the play and still wanting to make it again is why Warriors fans love him and why he will soon be on a full-time NBA contract, not a two-way. That said, it it might be time for teams to look into the exposed steps they have now in the new configuration of how sidelines are setup and whether they should find ways to put some kind of cover over the steel edge to protect against similar injuries happening as players make plays for loose balls going out of bounds in the future.