Yaxel Lendeborg has never lacked confidence.
When the Warriors were in the running to acquire LeBron James, the rookie expressed excitement about potentially playing alongside one of the greatest players of all time but also told the California Post, “Hopefully he doesn’t take away my minutes.”
And after Lendeborg and Luka Doncic exchanged trash talk when the Lakers played the Warriors in their season opener, Lendeborg said he “lost all respect” for one of the NBA’s biggest superstars, calling out his “whining” and “complaining.”
Well, Yaxel, here comes your real test.
After Steph Curry suffered an oblique abdominal tear in the Warriors’ 115-108 loss to the Rockets on Wednesday, Lendeborg is now the team’s star.
Curry will be reevaluated in two weeks and is expected to be sidelined close to a month, according to ESPN, meaning it’s now up to the 24-year-old to carry the franchise.
Lendeborg talks the talk.
And so far he has walked the walk, averaging 21.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists while surging to the top of the Rookie of the Year race.
But carrying the Warriors?
That’s a different challenge altogether. We’re really about to see what Lendeborg is capable of, especially considering Curry had opened the season playing out of his mind.
The 38-year-old Curry was having an MVP-caliber campaign, entering Wednesday’s game averaging 30.6 points, 4.3 assists and 4.1 rebounds for the Warriors, who had stunned the league by winning eight straight games.
Overnight, Lendeborg has gone from being a sidekick to the main character.
It’s an adjustment he must quickly make.
Draymond Green said he already saw glimmers of that happening Wednesday.
“It’s funny because the thing that he’s going to have to learn and understand is, all right, Steph wasn’t out there, KD (Kevin Durant) was off the court, you look around, you’re probably the best player on the floor,” Green told reporters. “Regardless of team.
“I think there was a point he realized, ding, ding, ding, and he started attacking, and the game flipped for us. I think that’s something that he’s going to have to realize really fast. There will be oftentimes where he can possibly be the best player on the floor regardless of the team. We need him to show that. He doesn’t have a problem doing it.”
Lendeborg has been one of the season’s biggest stories.
The Warriors’ 11th pick in the draft breathed new life into Curry’s career during what was thought to be a lost season after Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody suffered injuries that would sideline them for the first few months and Kristaps Porzingis announced he was stepping away from basketball indefinitely.
Lendeborg picked up the slack. Brandin Podziemski is making major contributions, averaging career highs in points (17.3), field-goal percentage (48.1) and 3-point shooting (39.7%). And Green is capable of bottling up anyone in the league on any given night.
But without Curry, everything changes.
The person who’s going to feel that most is Lendeborg, who’s going to experience a different type of defensive pressure than he’s ever seen.
Curry is a four-time MVP. He carried the Warriors to four championships in eight years from 2015-2022 before the dynasty began flailing, failing to advance past the second round of the playoffs the last four years.
Lendeborg helped resuscitate Golden State. Now he’s going to have to put it on his shoulders.
Lendeborg wants that. He wants to be a star. But can he handle it now?
Green made waves at the top of the season for saying the Warriors found the “next face of the franchise” in Lendeborg. That meant a lot coming from Green, who doesn’t give that type of praise easily, especially to a rookie.
We’re going to get a preview of whether he was right. Whether Lendeborg is ready. Whether he’s able to handle the pressure.
Last season, the Warriors went 13-26 without Curry, who missed 27 straight games because of runner’s knee.
They’re better equipped to deal with Curry’s absence this time around because of an outspoken and talented rookie who’s about to be thrust into a situation he was supposed to be eased into.
For however long Curry is out, Lendeborg is the face of the Warriors.
His confidence is going to be put to the ultimate test.
