ONE OF the biggest stories in Australian basketball this year was Taran Armstrong‘s signing to a two-way contract with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA, finally getting some reward for some strong play in the National Basketball League (NBL).

Although it was an exciting moment to be finally recognised by one of the best NBA sides in it this season, it was always going to be likely that Armstrong would first spend time in the G-League to develop his game and get up to speed with the Santa Cruz Warriors.

The great news is Armstrong has been thriving at the level, bringing his signature smooth moves with ball in hand and excelling as the team’s point guard. His biggest strength with the Cairns Taipans was his ability to impact the game in a plethora of ways when the ball was in his hand, and he has not lost that knack despite the move to the United States.

In his most recent outing with the Warriors, Armstrong stuffed the stat sheet once again, posting 11 points, five rebounds and seven assists, and importantly, leading his side to a massive 34-point win over the Osceola Magic.

The Warriors posted a whopping 145 points, and Armstrong was heavily involved in getting the offence rolling, particularly in half court sets. Armstrong’s elite vision and passing saw his teammates get involved on the scoreboard, with Blake Hinson the biggest beneficiary, posting 37 points and gelling extremely well with the team’s new point guard.

Armstrong was able to craft scoring plays for himself and others, and although he is not the quickest player, the Tasmanian completely controls the speed of the game, waiting until his team is in the right position to score.

He particularly got involved in the final quarter, being trusted to set up plays and delivering in a big way, producing some of his signature bullet passes and helping his teammates get into scoring positions inside and out.

Armstrong was able to hit the scoreboard himself, looking to attack downhill and put the pressure back on the defender. However, he was extremely smart with his shot selection, never forcing anything and showing maturity with his decision making.

An NBA debut seems imminent for Armstrong, who has shown the capability of taking his game to the next level since joining the G-League and playing a big role in yesterday’s win.