Stephen Curry’s 44-point performance helped the Golden State Warriors secure their second consecutive win, beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 119-114. The Warriors even built a 24-point lead before Minnesota fought its way back into the game. Despite the win and Yaxel Lendeborg’s impressive start to his NBA career, Gilbert Arenas isn’t pleased with the Warriors, particularly their reliance on the rookie to carry a significant part of the offensive load.
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Lendeborg’s emergence has been one of the few bright spots for Golden State. The 24-year-old became the first player since Shaquille O’Neal in 1992 to average 20+ points and 9+ rebounds through his first five career games. However, Arenas believes that a rookie having to shoulder such a large offensive responsibility says more about the Warriors’ shortcomings than his individual ability.
“The team’s a–,” Arenas bluntly said on Gil’s Arena. “All right, we’re just going to say that the fact that the rookie you come in, even though he’s not a rookie rookie, but he’s a rookie, and he’s taking 20 shots. That means your team ain’t that good. The only offense they really have that seems consistent is, you know, obviously Steph and Yaxel. The rest of the team, they’re just, I’m sorry. It’s just not good. And they’re just not there. No matter how you want to spin it and look at that. There’s just not there.”
The 24-year-old was the only other starter after Stephen Curry to score in double digits (26 points, 9 rebounds, and 11-20 FG) on Wednesday. Yaxel Lendeborg leads the team in minutes played (33.2) after being the only Warriors star to start in all five games this season. He leads the team in rebounds (9.2) and is also top five in points, assists, and blocks. With injuries to Jimmy Butler and Kristaps Porzingis, the rookie Yaxel Lendeborg is getting extended minutes.
And Arenas’s criticism is not directed at Lendeborg’s performance. But it’s towards the Warriors’ planning and overreliance on a rookie. In fact, Agent Zero also called out Brandin Podziemski.
“Like there’s nothing like his (Podz) skill set isn’t your system. That’s not your system. I heard he watched Brunson all summer. Listen before you draw fouls; make shots like you got to learn how to make shots. Like, make the bucket first.”
After the Wolves’ win, Podziemski admitted he learned to draw fouls by using defenders after watching the Knicks captain. But in that game, Podz scored just 8 points despite playing 32 minutes. In fact, other starters in that game, Draymond Green and Georges Niang, combined for just 10 points.
The only other star to score in double digits was Brandon Williams (11 points) from the bench. So the lack of offensive partner goes back to the off-season, where the Warriors failed to pair Stephen Curry with another MVP or All-Star. Even Seth Curry called out the Warriors’ roster situation on social media
“With all due respect to Ike. A 2-way starting for the dubs in game 2 is tough,” he wrote on Threads. This was after Graham Ike, who is on a two-way contract, earned his first career start against the Memphis Grizzlies. In that game, Horford, Niang and Santos played from the bench. In the meantime, Yaxel Lendeborg has made the most of his opportunities.
In their previous win against the Nuggets, Stephen Curry was elite from the field, scoring 24 points on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting performance. But it was the rookie who dominated the spotlight, taking the team-high 19 shots. Yaxel became the first Warriors rookie since Curry to record 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 5+ assists in a single game.
Lendeborg dropped 31 points (career-high), 12 rebounds (game-high), and 6 dimes. In fact, Steven Kerr has been impressed by the 24-year-old and has stated that he would continue to start him. The Warriors head coach is known for giving rookies limited floor time, but that’s not the case for Yaxel.
“For a rookie to be that advanced already, it’s extremely rare.” While Kerr has found their 11th-overall pick in the 2026 draft impressive, the lack of another superstar around Stephen Curry remains noticeable.