Coach Steve Kerr's Golden State Warriors are holding down the fort in Stephen Curry's absence, leaning on rookie Yaxel Lendeborg as they prepare to face the Spurs in NBA Cup action in San Antonio on Friday, November 13. Kerr lent his support to Warriors forward Jimmy Butler as he expressed future G League plans for his injury rehab, while Lendeborg is preparing to lead his team into a huge battle at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio.
He shared a window into his team's plan for stopping Spurs giant Victor Wembanyama in comments shared by Anthony Slater of ESPN.
“Well he has like five blocks, he's gonna be in help (defense) a lot, and obviously, you see all the stats he put(s) up, the most recent one was like, 52 (points) and 24 (rebounds), that's crazy. You know me, I'm gonna try to shoot as many threes as I can tonight, try to bait him into, you know, helping out, maybe get some more kickouts, and try to rough him up as much as we can.”
Lendeborg was asked who the tallest player he's ever faced is and said it was Aday Mara, the Oklahoma City Thunder rookie he won a national championship with, and battled in practice against, at Michigan.
Article Continues BelowKerr's use of the rookie Lendeborg was praised by Charles Barkley recently, as the Warriors have given him tons of freedom to be a leader both vocally and by example on the court.
The Warriors have a keeper and potential future All-Star in the Michigan rookie, who has shown the willingness to battle superstars, including Luka Doncic, in the recent past. Wembanyama looks like an even tougher challenge, but fans, and teammates, are starting to believe in Lendeborg as he continues to show he was one of the most underrated players from the 2026 NBA Draft.