Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg exploded for a career-high 37 points against the Los Angeles Clippers, and he could have gotten even more. The Warriors bench was apparently pushing for Lendeborg to go for 40, to which he obliged.
Lendeborg admitted he was disappointed in himself for playing that way late in the game and straying from his core philosophy of basketball.
“I’ve never been a stat chaser in my life. Falling into peer pressure like I did, just now, was pretty much bad on my part. I’m a guy that loves ethical hoops. I’m a guy that loves efficient basketball, and I didn’t do that for the last 2-3 minutes, so that’s bad on my part,” Lendeborg said.
Despite missing a trio of threes near the end, Lendeborg’s final line was nevertheless impressive. He finished with 37 points on 13-of-19 shooting (6-of-11 on 3-pointers) with four rebounds and six assists to lead the Warriors to a 124-112 victory without either Stephen Curry or Draymond Green.
Aside from his matchups against Luka Doncic and the Lakers, Lendeborg has been outstanding for the Warriors this season. He’s averaging 22.3 points on 52% shooting from the field and 41% on 3-pointers, which is incredibly efficient for a rookie. He’s also joined an exclusive club with Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry as the only Warriors rookies to average over 20 points through their first seven games.
Based on how he thinks about basketball, it’s becoming clear why the Warriors drafted Lendeborg. He believes in team basketball and getting the best shot possible, which is the blueprint for the Warriors system. That could also help explain why he is thriving so early in his NBA career.
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