Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg made his NBA preseason debut for the Golden State Warriors on October 4, 2026, starting at small forward against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Lendeborg, the 11th pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, started alongside veterans like Stephen Curry and Draymond Green and put up four points, nine rebounds, three assists, and one block in 19 minutes.
Steve Kerr’s Honest Assessment on Yaxel Lendeborg’s NBA Debut
With one game under his belt, Lendeborg got some honest assessment from Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, who called him out after the game.
“Yaxel was good,” Kerr said. “[But] we need him to be more aggressive.”
Kerr then pointed out a specific play that irked him during the game, which the Warriors lost by three, 104-101.
“To really keep play in the second half, early in the second half, where he has the ball right underneath the basket and he turns it over, trying to throw it to Charles [Bassey]. They hit a three at the other end, that’s gotta be a layup,” Kerr said.
The play happened right at the start of the second half, which resulted in an open triple from Clippers rookie Keaton Wagler in the transition offense.
When the Warriors drafted the 24-year-old forward out of Michigan, he was seen as a ready-to-contribute asset capable of providing immediate help to veterans like Curry and Green.
Kerr also expected Lendeborg to step into a significant role right away or even compete for a starting spot right away to fill the defensive and playmaking voids left by injured players like Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody.
Lendeborg enters the NBA as a versatile wing defender who can guard multiple positions, move smoothly within the Warriors’ 5-out offense and bring the same winning pedigree that led the Michigan Wolverines to a national championship.
Stephen Curry Delivers Blunt Message To Yaxel Lendeborg After First Game
Stephen Curry is also pushing Yaxel Lendeborg to be there from here on.
Curry talked about Lendeborg’s aggressiveness and how he should adjust to the NBA’s style of play after seeing him for the first time against NBA-level competition.
“The balance for a young guy who’s expected to have an impact is to walk that fine line of aggressiveness, but being okay knowing you’re gonna make mistakes, and not getting the favor, and being able to move on to the next play,” Curry said when talking about Lendeborg. “But we don’t want anything passive. I think he’s been answering that call early.”
Curry is also expecting Lendeborg to bring some feistiness on both ends of the floor consistently throughout a game.
“We saw one of the first possessions, taking a shot when he was open, getting offensive rebounds, driving. I know he wants a couple of those possessions back, but we want him applying pressure on both ends of the floor, but especially offensively, being able to create good offense for us and good possessions. So it’s not going to be perfect, make mistakes. I think he can hopefully thrive off the fact that he can play through those.”
Lendeborg still has a lot of time to improve on those facets. However, his room for error is already expected to be small, considering the pressure of playing for a Warriors squad that is looking to bring Steph Curry another shot at an NBA championship.
Warriors Coach Steve Kerr Reveals What He Really Thinks of Yaxel Lendeborg’s NBA Debut