SAN FRANCISCO ― Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg is not backing down from anyone and he's letting everyone know it.
He takes matchups personally. That's just him. Lendeborg plays with a chip on his shoulder and the Warriors need another guy like that.
His name made the rounds for his interaction with Lakers star Luka Doncic in his NBA debut. Maybe you don't like that it's coming from a rookie, but Lendeborg is playing whatever role Golden State needs him to play.
"I’m not supposed to talk to him, something like that," Lendeborg said about the backlash. "Like, I ain’t never been a (expletive). Come on now. He gonna say what he gonna say, I’ma say what I wanna say. I’m not afraid to talk to nobody, man. He’s not Michael Jordan. Come on now. So,
I mean, it’s fun trash talk. I feel like I did kinda take it overboard in the media, but I mean, it is what it is."
If he welcomed the Doncic matchup, other rookies should expect the same treatment. Lendeborg looks forward to matchups with members of his draft class. His first one was against the Memphis Grizzlies forward Cameron Boozer.
Boozer got the better of Lendeborg Friday, as his Grizzlies got the win. Boozer even hit the go-ahead field goal with 19.7 seconds left to give Memphis a 108-106 lead. He filled the stat sheet with 25 points and 13 rebounds for consecutive double-doubles to begin his career.
Boozer shot 6-for-13 and was a perfect 9-for-9 on free throws. He went 4-for-7 on 3-point field goals.
Lendeborg, for his part, had a better follow to his debut against the Lakers. The Warriors rookie put up 18 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three steals. Lendeborg, like Boozer, also had six turnovers. He shot 4-for-11, including 1-for-3 from deep. Lendeborg was aggressive in the paint and got to the line frequently, shooting 9-for-12.
"(Boozer) played a great game today," Lendeborg said Friday. "We were both on the bad end with the turnovers but, I mean, we both ended up with double-doubles. It was a fun matchup. We didn't really get to guard each other too much, but he did take advantage of the matchup when I was on him and did a great job."
Grizzlies head coach Tuomas Iisalo knew going into the game that Lendeborg would be a matchup problem.
"He seems like a very NBA-ready rookie. He's got the body. He's got the athleticism. He has the game and seems like a confident enough guy to start playing right away in a major role for them," Iisalo said.
Iisalo isn't necessarily telling Boozer to embrace the matchup, but he knows his rookie is going to show up.
"We're not telling him anything," Iisalo told USA TODAY Sports about the Lendeborg-Boozer rookie matchup. "It's more of the narrative that you guys create. I think the players are here to play team against teams, so whatever individual battles take place there, that's normal. But I think both players are both trying to win."
Lendeborg looks forward to those matchups, though − really to any time he's on the floor competing.
"I always want to have a good game against anybody in my draft class or try to outperform them. (Friday), I didn't," Lendeborg said. "Every game I'm gonna definitely try to take that personal and try to win my matchup, ultimately just win the game for the team."
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr knew the Boozer-Lendeborg matchup would be a good one, going back to their summer league meeting. Lendeborg got the better of Boozer and the Grizzlies over the summer, leading a fourth-quarter comeback with 21 points and 10 rebounds in July. Boozer had 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
"Great matchup. Two big, talented young guys, multi-skilled players. Obviously, a good matchup between them in Vegas," Kerr said. "Boozer's a really impressive young guy."
Kerr raved about his rookie and all that Lendeborg brings. His coaching critique is that he wants Lendeborg to run the floor harder on fastbreaks and transition opportunities.
"I love the young guy. I mean, he's really talented. I love his competitiveness," Kerr said. "I guess I didn't mind, you know, that stuff the other day, but as Steph (Curry) said, you got to back it up, you know? And that's the thing. We play the Lakers again next week. So, OK, you know, here you go."
Kerr isn't concerned too much with his rookie taking matchups personally, as much as he is with the overall team performance − especially on the defensive end of things. That was something he couldn't stress enough in a passionate response.
"For us as a staff, it's really more about the small things that most people aren't going to be looking at," Kerr said. "Help-side defense. He did a good job on Luka, one on one, but we got torched by Luka as a team. I don't care, you know, all those stats that the NBA puts up, like, 'hey, when (Lendeborg) guarded him would he guard him? Who the F cares? Right?"
He continued: "It's like they scored 128 on us, you know? That stuff's all (expletive). It's our defense, and he knows that. I talked to him about that yesterday. And our defense was not good, regardless of him individually when he guarded the ball, you know, that stuff doesn't matter."
It's all a learning experience for Lendeborg in his first year.
He's got all the tools to make a difference for the Warriors. And he's got pride. You can't teach that.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg put the NBA on notice: He's not backing down from anyone
