Kings’ Juan Toscano-Anderson Explains Leadership Role in Sacramento

Despite headlining many rumors, the Sacramento Kings have made one roster change this season: signing veteran F Juan Toscano-Anderson. Toscano-Anderson, 30, won the 2022 NBA Championship with the Golden State Warriors before making his way to the Los Angeles Lakers and Utah Jazz, ultimately finding his way out of the league ahead of the 2023-24 season.

The Kings gave Toscano-Anderson an opportunity, signing him to a one-year deal before waiving him and re-signing him to a 10-day contract. Toscano-Anderson played 14 minutes against the Detroit Pistons in his first game under his new deal, grabbing six rebounds but shooting 0-3 from the field.

Kings HC Mike Brown and Toscano-Anderson have a history from their times in Golden State, as Brown believes the veteran forward can make a difference in Sacramento. 

Toscano-Anderson sat down with us to discuss his latest episode of the docuseries "The Break, Presented by The General" and his experience in Sacramento. We asked him if he came to Sacramento to be a leader or if he would rather lay back and not mess with how things were before. 

"I'm new to this, right? The thing about being a leader is understanding 'get in where you fit in,'" Juan said. "Being a leader is not always about rising to the top... That's not who I am. I organically build relationships, and I build trust with people prior to me coming in and inputting my opinion or perspective on anything. My first goal is to build the trust of my teammates and the guys who put in the work to build this culture, and I think that part of my leadership qualities is understanding that I am new here."

Brown likely brought in Toscano-Anderson because of their trust and relationship. Toscano-Anderson could not come into Sacramento in a leadership role because he has to build that trust with his teammates first, even though he has already built it with the coaching staff.

While Toscano-Anderson's future in Sacramento is unknown, his championship experience and team-first mentality could help the Kings in the long run.