Yaxel Lendeborg continued his impressive start to the Golden State Warriors’ preseason with a 124-98 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, Oct. 6.
The rookie forward stepped in as Steve Kerr’s starting center after Al Horford was scratched late ahead of tip-off. Despite the positional change, Lendeborg still found ways to contribute. He finished with 17 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block.
Lendeborg has now averaged 9 boards in both preseason games to date, including his Warriors debut in the 101-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday.
When speaking with the media after Tuesday’s game, Lendeborg discussed whether 9 rebounds per night could be a realistic goal for him in the upcoming season.
“I feel like it’s a lot easier to get rebounds here (in the NBA) than in college (because) the paint was always packed,” Lendeborg said. “And it’s always like someone is just coming out of nowhere to rebound. These guys (in the NBA), I feel like they’re more lazy to get the rebound. So I’m having clear-cut rebounds by myself. It’s crazy, you know? I’m going to have a lot of rebound games where I’m at 9 to 12, that range, something like that.”
Lendeborg might want to pump the breaks on those expectations. Right now, he’s competing against veterans who are preparing for the upcoming season. He may find rebounds a little more difficult to come by once travel, fatigue and rising opponent effort levels all set in.
Warriors’ Lendeborg Aiming To Be Efficient
Despite Lendeborg’s success on the glass to begin preseason, he’s made it clear that his focus is on improving his game and being an efficient member of the rotation.
After the first game, I definitely said to myself, ‘yeah, I should be around this range for rebounds every game,’ just because of how easy it was,” Lendeborg said. “But statistically, I do want to be in an efficient range. I think I said before, like 15, 6, and 4. Something like that. But I’m gonna try to get to those numbers.”
Lendeborg clearly has the talent to be an impactful member of Steve Kerr’s rotation this season. Whether he can reach his target averages as a rookie will remain to be seen. Nevertheless, he’s quickly proving himself and should be a staple in Golden State’s rotation next season.
Warriors Steve Kerr Was Impressed By Lendeborg
Lendeborg’s performance also appeared to impress Kerr. During his postgame news conference, he discussed the rookie’s outing, praising the aggression that he showed on both sides of the ball.
“That was great,” Kerr said. “The way he attacked in transition, a couple of times in the pick-and-roll. We need him to be a scorer; we need him to get us easy buckets at the rim. He did a great job of that tonight.”
As a rookie, Lendeborg will undoubtedly face some adversity throughout the season. There’s a steep learning curve when making the jump from college to the NBA. Fortunately for him, he’s surrounded by championship-level veterans who know what it takes to succeed at the highest level.
If Lendeborg can stay grounded, perform on the floor, and listen to his vets, the Warriors could have a future star on their hands.
Warriors Rookie Claims NBA Players Are ‘Lazy’ on the Glass