Yaxel Lendeborg Gets Praise From Stephen Curry After Impressive Start to Rookie Season

Yaxel Lendeborg has become the most talked-about rookie this season despite the presence of other tantalizing prospects.

Yaxel Lendeborg Gets Praise From Stephen Curry After Impressive Start to Rookie Season

Yaxel Lendeborg and Stephen Curry (Image via Aly/X)

The Golden State Warriors selected Yaxel Lendeborg with the 11th overall pick in this past draft. At that time, many felt that they were doing so just because of what he achieved with the Michigan Wolverines in his last year in college.

They won the NCAA championship, and he was their leading scorer. However, he had spent a lot of years in college and arrived in the NBA as a 24-year-old.

Therefore, question marks were rampant about what he could do and how much he could evolve, considering most young superstars his age in the league were already a few years in.

Despite those doubts, the Puerto Rican has established himself as one of the most dependable players on the Warriors. It may be just three games, but it was enough for Stephen Curry to form this opinion.

He’s so calm with the ball in his hands as a playmaker, and he can get schemes going where you highlight that and put him in a position to be successful with spacing around him. It’s very Jimmy-esque in a way.

Stephen Curry told the SF Chronicle

That is some praise coming from the four-time champion, who has seen his fair share of young athletes come into the league and fail. Curry believes that Yaxel Lendeborg’s awareness and decision-making are something the team can exploit.

The superstar highlighted that his rookie has some abilities that their opponents can find difficult to handle.

For someone whose claim to fame was trash-talking Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic in their season-opening loss, these words of praise are a reminder that Lendeborg is more than just what his mouth can do.

RELATED
Warriors Jittery After Stephen Curry Tweaks Ankle In Final Practice Before 2026 Season Starts

Yaxel Lendeborg sets Warriors’ rookie record with his performances

The Golden State Warriors are aware that public perception about their chances to make the playoffs this season is low. While their star players might dispute that, their lack of production might boost those predictions.

Luka Doncic and Yaxel Lendeborg
Luka Doncic and Yaxel Lendeborg (Image via Dubs Lead/X)

They have lost the first three games of the season despite having a healthy Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and the rest on the floor. In fact, Yaxel Lendeborg has taken the opportunity to establish himself as one of the team’s most dependent players.

He scored 12 points on his debut amidst all that trash talk, along with three rebounds and two assists. He followed that up with an 18-point, 13-rebound showing against the Memphis Grizzlies. That playmaking Curry was talking about was also evident in his six assists.

In their third game of the season, the rookie upped his production to 26 points. While his rebounding and playmaking dipped slightly, they were still enough to help set a Warriors’ record.

Yaxel Lendeborg became the first rookie in franchise history to register 18+ points, nine+ rebounds, and five+ assists in back-to-back games since Hall of Famer Chris Webber did it back in 1994. It is quite some company to be in.

RELATED
Yaxel Lendeborg Jokes About Steve Kerr’s Reluctance to Develop Young Players

Steve Kerr criticizes Yaxel Lendeborg’s defense

While all the statistics and opinions about Yaxel Lendeborg suggest that he is on a trajectory that should make him one of the most important players, head coach Steve Kerr wants his rookie to keep improving.

His weak-side awareness right now is very poor. With his size, he should be one of our best defenders at the rim. Right now, he’s unaware on the weak side. In that scenario, he really has to improve.

Steve Kerr told reporters

Kerr is often labeled as someone who is not very good at developing young players. However, his direct criticism could be the coach’s way of letting his rookie know that he needs to work on those aspects if he wants to be better.

Given how Yaxel Lendeborg has improved game-to-game, it might not be long before he fixes those issues and maybe becomes adept at becoming a dominant two-way player.

Also Read: