Among all the ‘welcome to the NBA’ storylines we could’ve predicted, Yaxel Lendeborg’s turned into a thrilling storyline. He took the toughest assignment for an NBA debut, got torched in the mind games, and earned the respect of his veterans and coach. But a little more needs to be done before he has a rematch with Luka Doncic. Steve Kerr just revealed how he wants the 11th overall pick to put his money where his mouth is.
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The Golden State Warriors head coach delivered a blunt message to the rookie forward ahead of Friday’s home opener against the Memphis Grizzlies. Addressing reporters right before tip-off, Kerr laid out his expectations for the rookie.
“He needs to run the floor harder,” Kerr stated. “He’s a little bit of a coaster. He’s not like a speedy guy, big man, you know, he’s 235 lbs. 6’10, so he has a tendency, I think, a little bit to coast in transition. I want to see him run the floor a little harder. I think that will open up a lot of opportunities for him. He’s so skilled, and if we can get him to run the court both ways a little harder, a little faster, he’s going to end up finding the ball more and be more of a threat, make more defensive plays that will lead to transition for us.”
Kerr has been impressed with the 24-year-old’s competitive drive so far. Following the 127–105 opening-night loss, in which Lendeborg claimed he “lost all respect” for Doncic due to his constant foul-baiting and referee discussions, Kerr made it clear that individual head-to-head stats mean very little when the team’s defense surrenders a blowout.
“So, I love the young guy. I mean, he’s really talented, I love his competitiveness, like I said, I didn’t mind that stuff the other day. But as Steph said, you got to back it up, you know, and that’s the thing. We play the Lakers again next week. So, okay, here you go.”
He did tell the press in Crypto.com Arena “I loved it. I think the bravado, the not backing down, it’s great,” while reiterating Stephen Curry’s message. Though Kerr defended Lendeborg’s effort holding Doncic to 1-of-6 shooting in head-to-head possessions, he stressed that the Warriors still lost decisively.
“And so that was an interesting opening night, but for us as a staff it’s really more about the small things; most people aren’t going to be looking at outside defense,” Kerr explained. “He [Yaxel] did a good job on Luka 1-on-1, but we got torched by Luka as a team. I don’t care. All those stats that the NBA puts up like ‘hey when he guarded him…’ who the f—- cares. They scored 127 on us. That stuff is all bulls—t. 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.”
Lendeborg’s fiery NBA debut had left the fanbase and observers divided. While some were as impressed as Kerr, others felt he let Luka get in his head. Highlighted by the fact that he picked up the first technical foul of his career, which Doncic followed with a 48-foot half-court shot.
Before Doncic finished with 28 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists in three quarters, he made a sport of repeatedly instigating Lendeborg. Kerr stepped in to prevent the rookie from getting an ejection and delivered a viral hot-mic moment when he said, “They call all that s—- here; they wouldn’t call it in any other arena.”
Postgame, Lendeborg pulled no punches when evaluating his first matchup against the Lakers centerpiece.
“I had a lot of respect for him [because] I didn’t really watch the NBA much,” Lendeborg said after finishing with 12 points and four fouls in his first career start. “I just watched highlights and seen him kill people. But being in it firsthand and seeing all the whining and complaining, I lost all respect.”
Lendeborg had the full support of his senior teammates. Stephen Curry said, “I know that he’ll be able to back it up,” at their next matchup with the Lakers. Draymond Green unapologetically pushed Lendeborg to “go at his a— again.”
Lendeborg will not have to wait long for his next chance to back up his talk. The Warriors host Doncic and the Lakers at Chase Center on October 30, where all eyes will be on the rookie to see if he can back up the talk with defensive discipline and rim-running.