Yaxel Lendeborg is showing himself to be a pretty quick learner. After scoring just four points for the Golden State Warriors in his preseason debut in a 104-101 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, Dubs head coach Steve Kerr implored him to be more aggressive in hunting his own shot. Stephen Curry said that he needed to find a greater balance between making the unselfish play and getting his. And Lendeborg applied those lessons on Tuesday in a 124-98 demolition of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 11th overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft had a much better outing in his second preseason game for the Warriors. He recorded 17 points, nine rebounds, and two assists, via Polymarket Hoops on X, and he also led all players in scoring on the night. Moreover, he did not force the issue. He made seven of his 11 field-goal attempts (2-3 from deep), which shows that he was able to pick his spots on the night and convert his opportunities.
This is more in line with what the Warriors need out of Lendeborg from the jump. They selected him high up in the draft for his NBA-readiness, throwing nary a care in the world that he was the eldest player to go in the first round of the draft. And if he can keep up this level of play, the Warriors front office will look like geniuses for taking a chance on him.
Article Continues BelowIt is important to note, however, that this is preseason. The Lakers also rested quite a few of their key players, and it helped that the Warriors didn't even come close to facing LA at full strength.
Warriors fans have every right to feel excited, but tempering their expectations is also helpful. After all, Lendeborg may be 24 years of age already, but he's just a rookie, and there's always going to be a learning curve when making that jump to the next level. But the early signs are promising.