Yaxel Lendeborg has changed the conversation in Golden State almost as quickly as he changed the mood around the Warriors.
Through the first 10 days of the season, his play has been one of the league’s biggest stories, and not just inside the Bay. What looked like a painful miss in free agency now feels a lot easier to stomach for the Warriors, because Lendeborg’s rise is giving the team something immediate and something much bigger to dream on.
That wasn’t the way it looked when LeBron James made his decision. At that point, Golden State seemed like the team that needed him most.
Jimmy Butler was injured, leaving Stephen Curry as the only clear star in the lineup. The Cleveland Cavaliers were sitting on Donovan Mitchell, James Harden and Evan Mobley.
The Philadelphia 76ers had added Jaylen Brown to Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecomb. From a basketball standpoint, James landing in Philadelphia made the most sense, and Golden State’s disappointment was obvious.
It also makes sense why James passed on the Warriors. He did not want to be 41 years old and carrying nightly scoring pressure as the second option through the regular season. That route fit the 76ers better, and in hindsight it may have helped Golden State too.
Because even if Lendeborg has been better than expected, there is no realistic path where he would have been asked to do all this if James were in the fold. He could have been a starter and logged 25-30 minutes, but Steve Kerr almost certainly would have leaned on James to handle the non-Stephen Curry minutes.
Instead, that job belongs to Lendeborg.
It has not been spotless. The 11th overall pick had seven turnovers against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.
But the bigger picture is impossible to miss. In his first five career games, Lendeborg is averaging 22.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists.
The Warriors wanted James, and Curry and Draymond Green both worked in the recruiting effort during the four-time MVP’s free agency process. Looking back now, it is fair to wonder whether Golden State got lucky when it didn’t happen.
Even with Curry and James, this would have been a difficult team to project as a true contender. It also would have brought plenty of noise with it, though the spectacle of the two legends sharing the floor would have been undeniable.
But the long view matters too. A James deal would have been short-term, maybe one year, maybe two. Lendeborg gives the Warriors something else entirely: production right now, and a piece they hope can anchor the next decade.
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Warriors Center Problem Looks Worse As Former Big Man Thrives Elsewhere
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For the Warriors, the timing is awkward because the frontcourt picture is still unsettled and Kristaps Porzingis remains away from the team. His absence is being felt in the roster mix and on the floor, and Post thriving elsewhere adds another layer to a center situation that already looked thin. [Read more 🡒]
Zion Trade Idea Forces An Uncomfortable Pelicans Conversation
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For the Warriors, the appeal is obvious: Williamson would change the scoring ceiling and give the offense a different kind of pressure point. For New Orleans, the attraction would be the financial flexibility and the chance to reshape the roster around a veteran defender in Green, plus Porzingis and the draft asset. The uncomfortable part is just as clear, though, since the discussion quickly circles back to availability concerns on both sides and the reality that Golden State would be giving up Greens defensive leadership to make the swap happen. [Read more 🡒]
Draymond Green Just Changed What Warriors Should Want At Center
Draymond Greens recent stretch as Golden States small-ball center has given the Warriors a familiar kind of answer in unfamiliar circumstances. In back-to-back road wins, he handled the job the way he so often does for this team, taking on top opposing bigs and helping stabilize the middle even without a traditional center on the floor.
That kind of performance changes the conversation around what Golden State should be chasing next. The Warriors are still exploring trade possibilities, including Kristaps Porzingis, but the bigger question may be whether they want a center who brings more upside and trust than the current bench options. Yves Missi of the New Orleans Pelicans has emerged as a reported target, and the appeal is obvious: if Green can keep covering for the present, the Warriors can afford to be more selective about the future. [Read more 🡒]