Warriors Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg May Start on Opening Night: Steve Kerr Just Told the League Something Important
Steve Kerr does not start rookies. Kerr rarely even plays rookies significant minutes. Kerr has been famously stubborn about that for his entire tenure in Golden State. That may all be about to change with Yaxel Lendeborg.
Anthony Slater of ESPN reported Thursday on NBA Today that Kerr has already informed Lendeborg that he could be starting for the Warriors next season. Kerr described the rookie forward as different, which is about as high praise as Kerr gives to anyone under 25.
Lendeborg Earned Every Word
The 6-foot-9 forward was named Big Ten Player of the Year at Michigan last season and helped lead the Wolverines to their first national championship since 1989. That is a monster season by any measure. Then he did it again at NBA Summer League this month.
Lendeborg averaged 14.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game at Summer League. He was named Summer League MVP. Golden State won the Summer League championship. Along the way he produced highlight-reel plays, brief podcast moments and enough attitude to prove he was not just going to be a role player at the next level.
The Warriors took Lendeborg with the 11th overall pick this year. That was viewed as a slight reach at the time. It looks like a steal now.
The Warriors Have a Real Hole to Fill
Jimmy Butler tore his ACL last spring and will miss a chunk of the upcoming season. Jonathan Kuminga is no longer on the roster. Quinten Post is also gone. The forward spot for Golden State is thin, and the Warriors need someone to step up immediately.
Lendeborg is the obvious answer. He is 23 years old, physically ready, and coming off a season where he was the best player on a national championship college team. His body is NBA-ready. His skill set is versatile. He can handle, pass, rebound and defend multiple positions. That is exactly what Kerr’s system needs.
Steph Curry running actions with a mobile 6-foot-9 forward who can pass, catch and cut is a nightmare for opposing defenses. Draymond Green will still be the primary playmaking big for the Warriors, but Lendeborg gives them a second creator at that position who can do things Draymond cannot at this stage of his career.
Kerr’s History With Rookies
Historically, Kerr has been very slow to give rookies real minutes. His system is complex, his terminology is dense, and his defensive rotations require experience. Kuminga famously spent his rookie year mostly on the bench. Moses Moody had to wait for real opportunities.
Lendeborg is different. Older. More polished. Coming off a real college winning experience. Kerr sees the same thing everyone else sees, which is a player who can help right now.
The starting job is not officially locked in. Butler could return earlier than expected. Al Horford could slide into the starting frontcourt in some lineups. The rotation is fluid until it is not.
But the fact that Kerr is publicly discussing Lendeborg as a potential opening night starter tells you everything about how the Warriors internally view him. This is a real rookie. Real minutes are coming. Golden State fans should be excited to see what he does with them.
The last time Kerr made this kind of announcement about a rookie, it was Klay Thompson. That worked out okay.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
