Big Night for the Rookie
Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg delivered a big performance on Sunday night, scoring 37 points in a 124-112 win against the LA Clippers. He shot 13 of 19 from the field and hit six 3-pointers. His point total is the highest by a Warriors rookie in a single game since Stephen Curry in 2010.
Golden State chose to rest Curry and Draymond Green on the front end of a back-to-back, saving them for Monday against the Phoenix Suns. Lendeborg stepped into the spotlight. He said, "Whenever Steph's not in the game, it's my opportunity to try to be the leader, be the main guy on the team."
Rapid Growth from College to NBA
Lendeborg is a 6 foot 10 forward who spent three years in junior college before playing two seasons at UAB and one season at Michigan. He reached 30 points only once in 112 college games. Through his first seven NBA games, he has already passed 30 points twice and recorded scoring nights of 26, 26, 31 and 37.
He is currently averaging 22.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Golden State coach Steve Kerr mentioned that while the team saw his talent during a workout in June, he did not expect to see this level of production so soon.
Learning Lessons Late in the Game
The game almost had a messy finish for the rookie. Late in the fourth quarter, teammates De'Anthony Melton and Will Richard told Lendeborg he was three points away from 40. Lendeborg started hunting difficult shots and missed three straight 3-pointers.
The Clippers capitalized and cut the deficit to eight points. Kerr called a timeout and pulled Lendeborg out of the game. Lendeborg admitted that falling into peer pressure was a bad move on his part and promised to avoid stat chasing in the future.
Turning the Season Around
The Warriors managed to close out the win, marking their fourth straight victory after starting the year 0-3. The team has been searching for a reliable second scorer behind Curry since Jimmy Butler suffered an ACL tear last January.
Kerr noted how impressive Lendeborg's impact has been during his first two weeks in the league. He said that scoring 124 points without Curry shows how much the team's potential changes with Lendeborg playing at this level.
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