Steve Kerr isn’t hiding how much he likes Yaxel Lendeborg.
And when the Warriors coach starts talking that way, it comes with a spotlight attached. Golden State is trying to climb back into contender territory, and the rookie forward is already being treated like a player who has to matter right away.
Lendeborg arrives with plenty of momentum after helping Michigan win the national championship in the spring, where he was one of the Wolverines’ key pieces. That run carried over into summer league, where the Warriors won the title and Lendeborg took MVP honors. Kerr has seen enough to believe the rookie can be more than a promising addition.
“He's going to play a ton,” Kerr said. “Frankly, he deserves it. He's one of our best players already.”
Kerr expanded on that view after Golden State’s preseason game against the Clippers on Sunday, pointing to Lendeborg as a possible answer when Stephen Curry is on the bench. In Kerr’s eyes, the rookie forward can help drive the offense in those stretches and make the whole thing hum.
“He's very capable of being our lead offensive threat when Steph (Curry) is off the floor. He connects the game beautifully.
He makes it easy playing over and over again and looks good shooting the ball. He's a really good player.”
Curry, too, had strong words for the new Warrior. He described Lendeborg as a proven winner with a feel for the game and the size to fit what Golden State wants to do.
“He's obviously a winner,” Curry said. “He had a successful year in college in the big role he had.
He has great feel. He has great size.
He's been shooting it really well. You can tell he wants to make the right play.
For our offense and game plan, that's usually going to shine.”
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