Warriors' Armstrong has perfect toughness blueprint to follow in Steph

SAN FRANCISCO – A ball sits still on Taran Armstrong’s lap. From a chair on the Warriors’ sidelines, the only part of him that moves are his eyes, locking in on Steph Curry’s every decision during the superstar's famed pregame workout. 

There’s the speed at which Curry goes. Every move he makes is innovative, and every step has a purpose. His work off one leg is just as important as his half-court shots that still awe fans who arrive early to watch him. 

It’s about an hour before the Warriors tip off against the Detroit Pistons at Chase Center on March 8, an eventual 115-110 win, and Armstrong is in a Golden State jersey and warmup gear for the first time after a life-changing last few weeks. Catching Curry’s pregame routine wasn’t an in-the-moment choice. 

Players’ pregame times are posted to keep everything in sync. Scanning to see Steph’s name, Armstrong knew what his plans were once Curry hit the court. Take a seat and learn from greatness. 

“Yeah, I’m hungry to learn,” Armstrong said NBC Sports Bay Area later that night in the locker room. “I’ve been thrown into this unbelievable environment and I’m just going to do as much as I can to improve. Obviously, he’s the greatest shooter of all time. From a personal standpoint, I’m trying to get better and see what he’s doing. And as a fan, just being able to witness that is something really, really special. 

“I’m never a finished product. There’s always something to learn from anyone, especially from someone like him. There’s a thousand things you can take away.” 

The Warriors officially signed Armstrong to a two-way contract on Feb. 25, 17 days after his season ended in Australia’s NBL, playing for the Cairns Taipans. However, Armstrong didn’t play a game for the Santa Cruz Warriors, Golden State’s G League affiliate, until March 7. 

Even after the signing became official, Armstrong couldn’t do any basketball activities with Golden State or Santa Cruz because of his work visa. The Burnie, Australia native is the first Tasmanian basketball player to sign an NBA contract of any kind. 

He was in Australia when the Warriors and his agent, Daniel Moldovan, agreed to the deal. From there, Armstrong flew to San Francisco to sign his contract and take a physical. He then was in Santa Cruz for about three days, went to Ottawa for about four days as his papers were being processed, arrived Thursday, did a shootaround with Santa Cruz on Friday morning and made his G League debut later that night. 

Two-way players Armstrong and Braxton Key were active for the first time in Golden State’s game Saturday against Detroit since Santa Cruz played at Chase Center the next day. A handful of Santa Cruz coaches and front office members were there, including head coach Nicholas Kerr, who saw what Armstrong was locked into an hour before the game began.

“The fact that he just goes game speed, I think it's important for guys to see Steph,” Kerr said before Santa Cruz’s March 9 game against the Mexico City Capitanes. “But really, when you see Steph is on the practice court in between games, or if you have a few days off. The warmup's cool, too. Steph, he's unique." 

Curry’s consistency in his pregame workout caught Armstrong’s attention most. His demeanor, his ability to never get rattled and even exude self-belief for those few minutes. 

Armstrong’s eyes go to Curry’s feet. The pace at which he goes and the variability in his footwork. 

Reflecting on the game against the Pistons, the physicality stood out to Armstrong in a chirpy contest that featured 77 free throw attempts and 56 fouls. It was the things that didn’t get whistled, though. The holding, grabbing and shoving were sights for Armstrong, a 6-foot-5, 190-pound point guard, to see the importance of the weight room – an aspect Curry has mastered as well as anybody. 

A few hours later, Armstrong and the Sea Dubs beat former Warrior Juan Toscano-Anderson and the Capitanes, 118-107, in front of numerous Golden State players and coaches, including Steve Kerr. Armstrong flashed the creativity the point guard was known for in Australia, but also showcased more than that in 23 minutes off the bench where he had 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting and was 2 of 4 on threes, six rebounds and four assists. 

Over a minute into his first stint, Armstrong beat his man off the dribble and threw a no-look pass to the right corner while jumping into the paint. The way he deceived Toscano-Anderson with his eyes let Blake Hinson drive to the hoop right when he caught Armstrong’s pass, taking two dribbles and getting fouled on his way up.

Yeah, Taran Armstrong has a flair for fun passes pic.twitter.com/uhSsqmWEtE

— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) March 9, 2025

“Creativity can be almost like a way of efficiency,” Armstrong says. “Sometimes I like throwing the ball behind my back just because it’s almost a safer pass and it keeps the ball away from defenders. I like throwing that. I can throw it in stride, so I guess that’s sort of flashy, but to me it’s effective. That’s why I do it.” 

Armstrong's father and uncle played in Tasmania’s North West Basketball Union. The ball always has been in Taran's hands. Yet his eyes have been his guide, decoding what’s in front of him and confusing defenders. 

“If you can look there but throw it here, you’ll usually be all right,” he said, mimicking a no-look pass with his eyes. “You just have to be able to make sure you can make the pass.”

Taran no look ➡️ Alex reverse 😤 #SeaDubs pic.twitter.com/i2orbfs5Ap

— Santa Cruz Warriors (@GLeagueWarriors) March 8, 2025

In three straight possessions during the second quarter of Armstrong’s game with Santa Cruz at Chase Center, he made a three from the left wing, finished a tough tip shot and then dumped off a no-look pass to Alex Gil-Fernandez. 

He also made a 3-pointer from the same spot in the first quarter. Making both shots was impressive enough to the younger of the Kerr coaches. What Armstrong told Kerr about the two 3-pointers spoke volumes about the kind of player and competitor he is.

"You can tell he really knows how to play,” Kerr said. “He's got such a good pace about him. Tough too. That wing three is deep for him right now. He told me he's never shot it until he found out he was getting the two-way. So to make two of them in a game, I was impressed. Not only his ability to make it but the fact that he wasn't scared of it.”

First bucket as a #SeaDub and only right it’s on #WarriorsGround ☔️👏 pic.twitter.com/4OL42oXlJh

— Santa Cruz Warriors (@GLeagueWarriors) March 9, 2025

There’s the mental toughness of someone whose last two seasons, at 22 and 23 years old, have been against professionals in Australia’s top league. 

That’s a major hurdle Armstrong has leaped over in his young career. His name began popping up in mock drafts as a freshman at Cal Baptist University, but everyone said the same thing: He needs to become a better shooter. Those opinions created anxiety Armstrong has worked to overcome. 

“I built up this unrealistic pressure mentally,” Armstrong admits. “I’m way past that now. If you look at the volume, I think that’s probably the biggest thing, if you look at how many attempts I took this year versus those years at CBU.” 

Armstrong averaged 2.9 3-point attempts in his two college seasons, shooting 30.6 percent. As a rookie in the NBL, he only averaged 1.5 3-point attempts per game and shot just 25.7 percent. 

Staying stagnant as a shooter was only going to hold him back. So, he worked and worked and got over the outside noise, taking 5.1 threes per game this season, shooting a respectable 35.1 percent. So far, he has made three 3-pointers in six attempts through his first three G League games. 

How Armstrong controlled games with his passing and vision reminded his college coach, Rick Croy, of Ricky Rubio. Armstrong understands the comparison, at least for that time in his career. He also believes his game has evolved. 

Now, after taking time to pinpoint the right answer, Armstrong believes his game better resembles a two-time NBA All-Star who’s two years older than him.

“In terms of direct comparisons, I like [Tyrese] Haliburton,” Armstrong says. “I think he’s someone who’s similar to me, or I’m similar to him, whichever way you want to say it. But he’s someone I look to, the way he plays the game. I think he’s got a great balance of playmaking and scoring.” 

Other names Armstrong mentions of players he watches are Jalen Brunson, fellow Australian Josh Giddey, and, of course, Curry.

Toughness wasn’t reserved for offense in Armstrong’s Chase Center debut. He proved to have that trait on defense as well. One example was him guarding Toscano-Anderson in the post during the third quarter. 

The bigger, older NBA veteran backed Armstrong down until he tipped the ball away from Toscano-Anderson, forcing him to recover it and miss a fadeaway jumper at the end of the shot clock. 

“He gets after it defensively,” Kerr said. “He really compresses the ball. He's always in the scrap to rebound. He did a good job in the post. He's much more physical than what he looks like.

"You want your guards to be super tough. If they're not, you're just going to be limited defensively. Steph's good at that. Steph's tough as hell. It's easy to point him out when you see four pictures of him." 

Steve Kerr’s assessment is similar to his son’s. The next night, after having his first impression of Armstrong, the Warriors coach called out his feel for the game and could tell guys will enjoy playing with him. Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis played with Santa Cruz on Sunday and pointed at Armstrong’s basketball IQ. 

Every time Kerr sits at the podium before and after a home game at Chase Center, his view behind media members and cameras are four framed newspapers of Curry and his Warriors teammates celebrating their four championships. 

What better player than Curry for Armstrong to look at in combining the flair of the game’s greatest showman with the toughness that remains underrated?

All the way in Australia, Armstrong was made for the Warriors.

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