Yaxel Lendeborg has wasted no time becoming a real piece of the Warriors’ puzzle, and that has been obvious since the preseason. Steve Kerr was already flagging how important the rookie could be for Golden State’s offense before the games even started.
Lendeborg has since found himself handling more of the ball when Steph Curry is off the floor or sitting on the bench, a role that caught him a little off guard at first.
“Well, it's very shocking to hear it now. But I mean, I get the point.
The two other guys are hurt. Jimmy was one of the main scorers on this team.
So, going to have to try to fill in his role until he gets back. And I've been in positions where I've had to score the ball a lot, I guess, or an extra amount that I would like.
I feel like I'll be able to step into that role for sure. Just got to continue to work at it, get the confidence to do that.
But I mean, I feel like everything's going to be trending up the right way," Lendeborg said.
He’s also already had a taste of what NBA life looks like against elite competition, including a matchup with Luka Doncic. After that first meeting, Lendeborg said he lost respect for Doncic.
Now comes the other side of that learning curve. Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, speaking in a recent sit-down, made it clear the league has a way of putting rookies in their place.
“As far as like your NBA journey, just stay with it. There's some freaks in this League you know what I mean?
Like real monsters in this League. This sht will humble you.
I thought I was the #1 option in Orlando, not really. Got to Denver, took a couple of steps back, won a championship, improved my game now.
Know this League is going to humble you, just always bring that sht, what you learned from, like your mom's, what you learned from the job, bring that, bring that. That's why the Warriors picked you,” Gordon said.
That message fits Lendeborg, who comes across as a rookie built to absorb the bumps without letting them throw him off course. If he has a night where a star gets the upper hand, it doesn’t figure to linger.
For Golden State, he has already been a strong addition, and there’s nothing in his early run that suggests he’s backing down. Gordon’s warning was a useful reminder: the NBA will test him, and he’ll have to keep meeting that challenge head-on.
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Curry had just put up 31 points in the win over Los Angeles, while Green added nine assists in a performance that helped steady the group on both ends. Without them, the Warriors lose their top scoring threat and one of their best organizers, which puts even more pressure on the rest of the roster to carry the load against a Clippers team that will be ready to take advantage. [Read more 🡒]
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Yaxel Lendeborg had a rough night in the Warriors comeback win over the Lakers, the kind of game that can humble a rookie fast. The first-year forward finished with six points and five turnovers, and afterward he was candid about how much he still has to learn when defenses tighten and the game starts slipping away.
Stephen Curry, though, did not sound worried about the long view. He said he believes Lendeborg can bounce back from a performance like that, and for Golden State that matters as much as anything else, because the rookies next test will be less about proving he belongs and more about showing he can lean on his teammates when the pressure spikes. [Read more 🡒]
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Curry said the sequence carried more than just the usual bragging rights, and he also pointed to his motivation to back teammate Yaxel Lendeborg. It was the kind of postgame detail that gives a comeback win a little more texture, especially when it comes against a rival and includes a highlight that will keep circulating long after the final buzzer. [Read more 🡒]