Yaxel Lendeborg made his Golden State Warriors debut on Sunday, Oct 4, as they lost their preseason opener against the Los Angeles Clippers 101-104. Lendeborg, the 11th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, played 18:44 as a starter for Steve Kerr. Despite struggling from the field (1-of-6), Lendeborg found ways to impact the game, grabbing 9 rebounds and dishing out 3 assists.
Still, there were moments in the game when Lendeborg made some rookie decisions, and Kerr will be stressing that he'll learn from those moments in the coming weeks and months. After the Warriors' preseason loss, Kerr detailed two specific plays that will be learning moments for his latest rookie.
"Yaxel was good, but we need him to be more aggressive," Kerr said. "There's
a really key play in the second half, early in the second half, where he has a ball right underneath the basket, and he turns it over trying to throw it to Charles (Bassey). They hit a three at the other end. That's got to be a layup. We need the Yaxel to have an aggressive scoring mentality, and that's something we're going to work with him on because he can make plays and he can score."
As a rookie, Lendeborg will need time to develop his game. Mistakes are part of the growth process and, where possible, should be embraced. Nevertheless, Kerr and the Warriors' veterans will hold high standards this season, ensuring Lendeborg develops within a winning, highly professional culture. Long-term, that environment should be perfect for his overall growth.
Still, even with those two mistakes that Kerr pointed out, there's no denying that Lendeborg looks more than capable in his debut. He'll have more preseason games to fine-tune things in the coming weeks before the season gets underway later this month.
This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebookand Twitter!
This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors' Steve Kerr pinpoints learning moments for Yaxel Lendeborg
