The Golden State Warriors opened their preseason on Sunday with a 104-101 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

Steph Curry played 13 minutes, scoring 10 points, but finished with a -14. Charles Bassey led the team in scoring with 12 points.

The team started Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Yaxel Lendeborg, Draymond Green, and Al Horford, which could be the starting lineup for the team when the season starts.

Lendeborg, the Warriors’ first-round selection in the 2026 NBA Draft, had a rough outing on the offensive end, going 1-for-6 from the field and 1-for-3 from three. He did have nine rebounds and three assists, and was a +3 in 19 minutes.

After the game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr spoke on Lendeborg’s performance, noting a turnover early in the third where he tried to make a pass instead of going for a layup.

Kerr said, “We need him to have an aggressive scoring mentality, and that’s something we are going to work with him on.”

Lendeborg took three threes and three shots inside the paint.

Steph Curry had a similar message to Lendeborg after the game, saying he wants the rookie out of Michigan to be aggressive and not be afraid to make mistakes. Curry wanted Lendeborg to know that he’ll be able to play through those mistakes, similar to how he was able to play through his mistakes as a rookie.

Any preseason game comes with the caveat that it’s preseason.

While the Warriors want to see more aggression out of Yaxel, the numbers say we was one of their better starters, especially on the defensive end.

The offense isn’t going to revolve around him, but he should feel good knowing that the head coach and star player want him to be more aggressive in looking for his shot and attacking the basket.

The Warriors starters all had a rough outing, with Brandin Podziemski shooting 2-10 and Al Horford going 1-5.

Preseason, especially the first game, is about getting your feet under you and knocking off any of the offseason rust. It’s about getting back up to game speed, and for a rookie, it means just getting into game speed.

Yaxel was drafted to be an immediate contributor on the team given his all-around skill set and his age compared to his peers.

His contributions on the boards will keep him in the game, and the offense should soon follow.