Yaxel Lendeborg is aiming higher than Rookie of the Year. “I’m trying to be an All-Star this year,” the Golden State Warriors rookie told Taylor Rooks of NBA on Prime. The interview aired before Friday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs. Then came the worst night of his NBA career.
The Goal Behind the Confidence
Lendeborg’s goal says plenty about where his head is. Plenty of rookies hope for a rookie trophy. He wants to be an All-Star.
He also admitted the doubt still follows him. So he has a reminder, two words long.
“I try to continue to let my mind know and just try to ease it a little bit by saying I belong here,” Lendeborg told Rooks. “I always use ‘you belong’ because for a long time, I felt like I didn’t belong in the basketball world, especially now in the NBA.”
A Path That Never Followed a Script
Lendeborg did not start playing basketball until his senior year of high school. He rose from junior college to Michigan, then to the No. 11 pick in the draft.
Now he is playing like someone who belongs. Lendeborg is averaging 21.7 points on 51.8 percent shooting, with 7.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists. He sits atop the NBA’s Kia Rookie Ladder.
Rooks asked if he sees himself as the future face of the franchise, as Draymond Green has called him. Lendeborg did not hesitate. “No, I do not,” he said.
He explained what he thought his role would be. “When I first got drafted, I just expected to be the guy that just sits in the corner, waits for his shot, maybe averages, like, seven points a game,” Lendeborg said. “Now, I’ve somewhat become the second option on offense, and that’s definitely something I never thought would happen in the NBA.”
A Night That Tested the Golden State Warriors
Friday offered no comfort. Stephen Curry was out with a right oblique abdominal tear. The Warriors fell behind 18-0 and lost 123-85.
Lendeborg scored three points on 1-of-13 shooting. He was a minus-40 in 23 minutes, per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area. He blamed himself.
“We just lost by like 100,” Lendeborg said. “It was an awful performance by me. I let everybody on this team down.”
He pointed to Victor Wembanyama as a reason the Warriors struggled around the rim. “It looks like he put fear in all of our hearts,” he said. “Nobody wanted to go into the paint.”
He was not alone. The Warriors’ starters scored 11 points in the first half while shooting 14.8 percent.
What the Mantra Means Now
A goal like All-Star does not get measured in one night. It gets measured in the next one, and the one after that.
Belonging does not mean winning every night. It does not mean making every shot. It means staying when the night goes bad.
Lendeborg has said he finds it hard not to dwell on the bad. Friday gave him plenty to dwell on. It also gave him a reason to say the two words again.
What’s Next for the Golden State Warriors
Curry will be re-evaluated in about two weeks. Golden State has two days off before a game against the New Orleans Pelicans, a team it beat by 51 points last Monday. Lendeborg will carry more of the load until Curry is back.
Warriors’ Yaxel Lendeborg Makes Bold Admission Before Career-Worst Game