Yaxel Lendeborg has enjoyed a strong start to the Golden State Warriors' preseason. In 40 minutes of playing time over two games, the rookie has put up 21 points, grabbed 18 rebounds, dished out five assists and swatted two shots. He's done so on fairly efficient shooting, too, hitting 47.1% from the field and 50% from deep on 3-of-6 shooting.
Despite his strong start to Golden State's preseason preparations, head coach Steve Kerr is starting to get on where Lendeborg needs to improve his game. When speaking with the media following the Warriors' 124-98 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, October 6, Kerr pinpointed Lendeborg's stance when playing off-ball as one area to work on.
"The biggest thing I see that he needs work with is being
in a stance," Kerr said, via ESPN's Anthony Slater. "Off-ball, he tends to stand up a little bit. The other night against the Clippers, he was casual and Rui [Hachimura] came off a couple pindowns and he wasn't quite prepared."
It might only sound like a subtle tweak, but at the NBA level, small differences can make a major difference, especially on the defensive end. Lendeborg will undoubtedly improve throughout the season, especially if he's given the playing time and scope to work through his mistakes on the floor.
Fortunately for the rookie, it appears that Kerr and the coaching staff are invested in helping Lendeborg develop into a key contributor for the Warriors, ideally sooner rather than later. So, while being in stance when playing off-ball is an important piece of feedback, it's unlikely to be the only area of Lendeborg's game that he's tasked with working on in the coming months.
This post originally appeared on Warriors Wire! Follow us on Facebookand Twitter!
This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Warriors' Steve Kerr pinpoints key area for Yaxel Lendeborg to improve
