The Golden State Warriors lost their season opener 127-105 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg made the biggest headlines of the evening for his back-and-forth with Luka Doncic, which included trash talk, a technical foul, and postgame comments that went viral.
Head coach Steve Kerr backed his rookie afterward. Draymond Green endorsed the mentality. Now the most important voice in the Warriors’ locker room has weighed in.
Curry on Lendeborg vs. Luka
Curry was asked about Lendeborg going at Doncic during his first professional game.
“I love confidence. I love that care and passion,” Curry said. “From what I’ve seen from him, it’s just about playing basketball. It’s not about anything else other than the competitiveness. So, he’s setting the table for himself to show up, and I like that nature of the game. Whether you do it in between your ears or you let it out, I know he’ll be able to back it up.”
Curry was praising Yaxel for being competitive. The trash talk is the byproduct. The drive underneath it is the part Curry respects. And he feels the rookie can back it up.
The Bigger Picture for Golden State
Lendeborg scored 12 points in 29 minutes in his debut. The production was solid for a rookie thrust into a starting role against one of the best players in the league. But the mentality is what the Warriors are investing in. A young player who competes without fear gives the coaching staff something to build around even when the wins are not there yet.
The Warriors and Lakers meet again on October 30 in San Francisco.
Final Word for the Warriors
Kerr backed him. Green endorsed him. Curry said he can back it up. The rookie still has plenty to learn about how the NBA calls fouls and when to pick his spots. But the competitive fire that fueled Tuesday night is not something the Warriors want to coach out of him.
Curry knows it when he sees it. He saw it on Tuesday.
Warriors’ Stephen Curry Weighs In on Yaxel Lendeborg vs. Luka Doncic