AT’s Everywhere Effect on display at next level

Earlier this season, while Anthony Tolliver terrorized the NBA D-League for the Idaho Stampede, I explored the completeness of his all-around game:

I can’t find a word more descriptive of Tolliver’s performance than “everywhere.” At 6-foot-9 and 240 pounds, Tolliver is a large man, even by basketball standards. But the seven threes he took weren’t typical of the 21st century pseudo-bigs who hang around the perimeter waiting for kickouts. On several sets, he facilitated the Idaho offense from the top of the circles, displaying his deft ball-handling skills and comfortably creating his own outside shot off the dribble…

But this was no post-Detroit Rasheed Wallace-type showing either…AT routinely established position down low, delivered several great feeds to cutters from the blocks, made a couple of post moves of his own and earned himself eight trips to the foul line.  Though he didn’t finish consistently around the bucket, he seemed to constantly materialize wherever the ball came off the rim.

It was Tolliver who sprinted to the sideline to snare long rebounds from unsuspecting Dakota guards and revive multiple Idaho possessions, and it was Tolliver who fought his way to loose balls amidst the pack inside as well. Defensively, we saw more of the same. One second, Tolliver was jumping out to double a guard on a high screen-and-roll; the next, he was waiting at the rim to provide help on penetration or swat a shot out of vicinity of the basket.

On Saturday night in Oakland, Tolliver put his versatility on display once more, and the result was his most complete all-around performance in 41 career contests at the NBA level.

Playing 42 minutes off the bench (partly due to starting center Andris Biedrins suffering an injury), Tolliver provided a little bit of everything in helping lead the Warriors from 14 points down to a 95-88 win over the Pistons.

He showed why his primary position at the NBA level will that of a stretch four. The big man constantly seemed to drift out to the perimeter and wind up with the ball in his hands for an open looks, particularly in the corners. He knocked down three of six three-point attempts and found himself free for a couple of other mid-range looks that he is more than capable of making.

Tolliver didn’t force shots from the perimeter either. He had high-quality looks at the rim on most of his attempts, and he didn’t shy away from making the extra pass, dishing out of a couple of mid-range opportunities for even better looks for his teammates from deep, including two made three-pointers by C.J. Watson. On a left-baseline drive in the first half, he drew a crowd at the rim and kicked out across the floor to Devean George in the right corner, who made a ball-fake, took one dribble and trained a 16-footer. Smart decision-making with the ball in his hands led to a career high five assists against a single turnover.

The man made himself a disruptive presence at the defensive end and, as we have long seen in the D-League, proved ubiquitous on the glass. Tolliver chased down a game-high 14 caroms for the night. His three offensive rebounds led to a trip to the foul line for himself, a missed jumper for Stephen Curry (still, not exactly an awful shot to get on a second-opportunity) and finally, the play that put the Warriors ahead for good.

With just outside two minutes remaining and the Warriors trailing by one, Ronny Turiaf missed two free throws. While Anthony Morrow made a great play to regain control for the Warriors, he had his attempt at the rim blocked by Charlie Villanueva. But Tolliver collected the rebound, kicked the ball out, got it right back from C.J. Watson and glided from the left wing through the middle of the lane for a no-backboard, off-the-back-rim-off-the-front-rim righty lay-up that somehow lipped back in off the front rim. The bucket put the Warriors ahead 89-88 and would prove to be the eventual game-winner as well as the final made field goal by either team.

With a couple of cutting dunks and lay-ups along the way, Tolliver finished with 19 points, 14 boards and 5 assists. The cherry on top (for D-League observers, at least) came when CSN reporter Matt Steinmetz gave him the honor of the postgame interview and began by asking him about coming up from the D (and as Ridiculous Upside‘s Scott Schroeder noted, he wasn’t the only alum to post a big night, as C.J. Watson finished with 17 points and 8 boards).

Inside, outside, shooting, passing, rebounding: Anthony Tolliver demonstrated on Saturday night that his Everywhere Effect needn’t necessarily be limited to the D-League.