Steve Kerr is already handing rookie Yaxel Lendeborg a big role. As first reported by ClutchPoints, the Warriors coach said Lendeborg is “very capable of being our lead offensive threat when Steph (Curry) is off the floor,” adding that the rookie “connects the game beautifully.”
Who Is Yaxel Lendeborg?
Golden State took the 24-year-old forward with the No. 11 pick after one season at Michigan, where he helped lead the Wolverines to a national title. He kept winning in Las Vegas, leading the Warriors to the Summer League championship and taking home Summer League MVP.
His preseason so far has been more quiet than loud. In a 104-101 preseason loss to the Clippers, he finished with 4 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and a block in 19 minutes. Kerr also kept expectations in check: “Yaxel is five games into his NBA career, so it will take some time.”
The IAHHM Take
Look past the points. Nine boards and three assists in 19 minutes is what a connector does, and that’s exactly the word Kerr used. Golden State doesn’t need a rookie to score 20. It needs someone who can keep the offense moving in the minutes when Curry is on the bench, which has been the Warriors’ problem for years.
The opportunity is real. Lendeborg is expected to start next to Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Draymond Green and Kristaps Porzingis, with Jimmy Butler out recovering from an ACL injury. A rookie starting for a team with playoff hopes, with the coach praising him like this, is the kind of rising-player story we love to track.
Can Lendeborg be the Warriors’ second-unit engine as a rookie, or is Kerr putting too much on him too soon? Let us know.
Source: ClutchPoints
