Kevin Durant Praises Yaxel Lendeborg After First-Time Matchup

On Wednesday night, the Golden State Warriors faced the Houston Rockets on the road and lost 115-108. The Warriors saw their star player, Steph Curry, exit the game early with an injury, which meant rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg had to take charge of the team. 

Lendeborg put up a good effort and was able to keep Golden State in the game. He finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds on 9-for-19 shooting from the field. 

After the game, Rockets forward and former MVP Kevin Durant shared his thoughts on Yaxel Lendeborg as a player, and he praised him for how difficult he is to play against. 

"He’s a problem. A matchup problem. Being that tall, that skilled too. I'm excited to see his career unfold, grateful that I got to play against him tonight,” Durant said. 

Much of what Durant said about Lendeborg has proved to be true early this season. He has been able to take advantage of mismatches on the perimeter and the interior, which has led to these games where he’s had big scoring totals. 

Even without the presence of Steph Curry, Yaxel Lendeborg has been able to consistently create open looks for himself and keep the Warriors in nearly every game. 

So far this season, Lendeborg averages 21.7 points per game, 7.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. He has been able to do it all on both ends of the floor and has looked like one of the more polished rookies the NBA has seen in recent seasons. 

Moving forward, for Lendeborg to hit his ceiling, it will be on him to remain consistent. As Kevin Durant said, Lendeborg is a problem when he can find a mismatch. 

If the Warriors' coaching staff can continue to find ways to exploit opposing defenses using Lendeborg’s size, he will continue to find success playing downhill and shooting over defenders. 

Lendeborg will also need help from his supporting cast. Throughout the early portion of this season, Golden State has not gotten consistent play from Steph Curry due to injury, and news broke that he’ll miss time due to an oblique abdominal tear. 

Having a perimeter presence alongside Lendeborg opens things up for him and the entire team offensively. 

Yaxel Lendeborg will look to continue his strong rookie season without Curry for at least two weeks, and if he can continue to be efficient at shooting the ball, the Warriors can have confidence that their season will be fine as long as he’s leading the way.