Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg Helps ‘Perfect’ Stephen Curry Win First Game of Season

Yaxel Lendeborg put in his best performance and helped Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors clinch their first win of the season.

Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg Helps ‘Perfect’ Stephen Curry Win First Game of Season

Yaxel Lendeborg and Stephen Curry (Image credits - Yahoo Sports)

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Yaxel Lendeborg since entering the NBA. Drafted by the Golden State Warriors with the 11th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Lendeborg has been a bright spark for the Dubs so far, and Draymond Green has even labeled him Stephen Curry’s successor.

The Warriors were handed their highest draft pick in the last five years. Their decision to pick Lendeborg was interesting, as he was already 24, which meant the organization prioritized a college player with plenty of experience.

After showing promise in his first three games, he put in his best display Monday night as the Warriors registered their first win of the season. Lendeborg recorded a double-double with 31 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. It was a match-winning performance as the Warriors clinched a 134-114 win over the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena.

Lendeborg has been at the center of attention over the past few days due to his back-and-forth with Luka Doncic on his NBA debut. The Warriors rookie was seen taking it to the Slovenian and has not held back with his bold words since.

However, his performance on Monday night was undoubtedly his best showing so far. He took center stage in a game that had big names like Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and Draymond Green. The performance secured a much-needed victory for the Warriors and even snapped a seven-game losing streak in Denver.

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Stephen Curry was flawless against the Nuggets

Stephen Curry may be entering his 18th season in the NBA, but he has shown little sign of slowing down so far. Last season, he was limited to just 43 appearances after injuries kept him out for large parts of the campaign.

Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry (Image credits – Yahoo Sports)

Drafted in 2009, Curry has been the franchise superstar for over a decade. He has broken numerous records, won multiple championships and MVP titles throughout his career.

At 38, Curry is one of the league’s most accomplished players and has achieved almost everything there is to achieve. However, he did something unique on Monday night. While Lendeborg may have been the best player on the court on Monday night, Curry had the most efficient 20-point game of his career.

In 27 minutes of action, he posted 24 points, three rebounds, and three assists. The highlight was that he made all eight field-goal attempts, including three-for-three from beyond the arc, and went five-for-five from the free-throw line.

It was a remarkable performance from the 38-year-old at this stage of his career. The win improved their record to 1-3 as they look to make the playoffs after missing out last season.

Yaxel Lendeborg earns major praise from Stephen Curry

Since lifting the championship four years ago, Curry and the Warriors have struggled to mount any meaningful title challenge in the playoffs. After missing out on the playoffs for the second time in the last three seasons, it was evident that they need to make some major changes to their roster in order to extend Curry’s championship window.

While they pursued LeBron James in the summer, the King decided to sign for the Philadelphia 76ers. With no major acquisitions, the Warriors decided to run it back, which also meant that they are far from championship contenders this season.

However, Yaxel Lendeborg has provided the franchise with some bright sparks, and there is a level of optimism surrounding the rookie. Curry gave Lendeborg massive praise after their first win of the campaign.

His composure. He just came off of NCAA championship run. He’s just got composure and feel. His size on the court, he’s a matchup problem, but he’s never really in a hurry, and he’s starting to see the pictures really well, distributing, being aggressive, getting to the free throw line, offensive rebounding. Kinda a full package, so we want him to continue playing aggressive.

Stephen Curry in his postgame interview

Lendeborg may be the answer to the Warriors’ problems for the future, as their draft picks over the last few years have not developed into the players they would have been hoping for. There is still a long way to go in the season, but nobody can deny that the early returns look good for a franchise that has long pined for an injection of youth.

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