LAIE, HAWAII — The question isn’t whether Yaxel Lendeborg will contribute right away with the Golden State Warriors. The Summer League MVP has a presence, and he’s already impressed coaches and teammates with his ability to shoot from all over the floor.
The real question is whether the 24-year-old rookie will make the adjustments necessary to hang on the defensive end — and stay in the good graces of head coach Steve Kerr.
“Everybody here can shoot,” Lendeborg said. “I’ve been a guy that’s always given up the jump shot and kind of baited players to go into the paint and attack on me. Here I cannot do that.”
The Warriors believe in Lendeborg’s talent. The Michigan product plays even larger than his 6-foot-9, 240-pound frame, and his ability to switch on multiple positions was among the things that impressed the organization most during pre-draft evaluations. He spent Thursday’s scrimmage working with the first team of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Al Horford and Brandin Podziemski, and fit in seamlessly.
To reach the organization’s vision for him in the lineup, however, he must learn new assistant coach Frank Vogel’s defensive system quickly. He will be placed in a variety of positions all over the floor. The Warriors expect him to hold his own.
“For him it’s learning the actions that he’s going to be seeing from different positions on the floor,” Kerr said. “… What does Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander) do? What does Damian Lillard do if he gets switched on him? You’re guarding a big, know the scouting report. Is Chet Holmgren gonna pop and shoot threes, or what’s his tendency? … That only comes with experience and watching League Pass and getting to know the league.”
Lendeborg has quickly become part of the fabric of a Warriors team that badly needs him to play well every night while they wait on Jimmy Butler (ACL), Moses Moody (torn patellar tendon) and Kristaps Porzingis (health issue) to return. His happy-go-lucky presence has endeared him to the staff, and his fun-loving personality has made him a fan-favorite even before his first game. He has been open about the doubts that motivated him to make it to this level, but to the people who have watched him closely, Lendeborg is growing more comfortable with each passing day.
The success of Summer League has heightened expectations for the big man who led Michigan to a national title on his lone season in Ann Arbor. And Lendeborg’s veteran teammates believe in the talent they are seeing on a daily basis.
“The expectation for him is just keep getting better,” Curry said. “The nature of our league, and social media and all the microscope is that they’re going to expect him to be a 20, eight and six guy right out the gate. His job is to block all that out. He’ll know if he’s impactful. He’ll know if he’s helping win games. The stats and the numbers will follow, and it’s our job to protect him in that.”
For Lendeborg, the surest way to earn Kerr’s trust and the consistent minutes that appear to be on the horizon is to build up a solid base on the defensive end. He has the size to play against anyone. He has to continue working on the foot speed that is key to his positional versatility.
At times during Summer League, Lendeborg looked as if he was going through the motions on that end. That will not be a luxury he can afford once the real games begin.
Lendeborg admitted learning the Warriors’ offensive system was a little ‘tiring’ early in camp because of all the movement, but the true test of his rookie season will be whether he can handle the weight of the defensive responsibilities headed his way.
It’s been a whirlwind six months for a young man who wasn’t sure if he would ever make it to this level. He said he shed some tears after checking into the Warriors’ luxury hotel Monday, the night before his first NBA practice. On Wednesday, he turned 24, and his teammates sang “Happy Birthday.” If his defensive game can follow his offensive trajectory, the Warriors will have one of the most impactful rookies in the game. Lendebrog is living a charmed life these days, one he doesn’t take for granted.
“It was awesome,” he said of his birthday celebration. “Not many people can say they turned 24, playing in the NBA in Hawaii, so it’s definitely like a little dream for me, but it was very fun to celebrate here.”
