What we learned as Yaxel Lendeborg shines again in Warriors' win over Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Playing their fourth game of the preseason, the Warriors had their regulars back on the floor Saturday night at Chase Center against the Sacramento Kings.
Steve Kerr again opened the game with a starting five of Steph Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Gui Santos, Yaxel Lendeborg and Draymond Green. A tight contest all game concluded with a 111-106 Warriors win.
Less is more for Curry in the preseason, and he continued to only play the first half. Curry in 14 minutes scored eight points on 3-of-6 shooting and made two of his four 3-point attempts.
Golden State’s biggest story wasn’t two quarters of Curry. Lendeborg opened more eyes by displaying an array of skills that have Warriors fans already dreaming of a Rookie of the Year campaign. Lendeborg put up 23 points in 23 minutes on 10-of-14 shooting and also had 10 rebounds and six assists.
Kings top pick Darius Acuff Jr. was a problem for the Warriors and exposed their point of attack weakness. Acuff dropped 25 points in 27 minutes and blew past a list of Warriors.
Ben Simmons made his Kings preseason debut and scored seven points in eight minutes.
Here are three takeaways from a Warriors win that improved their preseason record to 2-2.
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He’s 24 years old, spent six years in college – including three in junior college – and hasn’t played a regular-season game in the NBA. Yet Lendeborg continues to play like a seasoned veteran. The game just looks easy to him, especially on the offensive end.
Lendeborg scored eight of the Warriors’ first 12 points and finished the first quarter with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting and six rebounds. The Warriors’ first two possessions were a two-man game of Green and Lendeborg. Green first found him cutting behind the defense for an easy layup and then hit him in the right corner for a three after getting to the middle of the paint.
But the most interesting part was how the second possession began. Lendeborg brought the ball up the court before relocating and knocking down a three. Kerr already feels comfortable using Lendeborg as a ball-handler and is giving him the freedom to learn on the fly.
At Lendeborg’s size, he’s an automatic mismatch initiating offense as a playmaker, and using his length around the rim. He went coast to coast multiple times and couldn’t be stopped. Lendeborg in the first half scored an easy 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting and also had eight rebounds, three assists and no turnovers.
The end of the third quarter was another perfect example of what Lendeborg can do. He came with eight seconds remaining, grabbed a rebound off a missed free throw, took it the other way and found Brandon Williams for a three at the buzzer.
Don’t Forget Gui
Even when they aren’t being seen as championship contenders, there still are so many talking points about the Warriors. Curry and Green always will garner headlines. So will Lendeborg’s rise throughout his rookie year, and Jimmy Butler’s rehab.
Santos can still get lost in the spotlight shuffle, despite coming off a breakout season. Saturday night was a reminder why he can’t be forgotten.
The forward started off slow in the first quarter and found his groove in the second. After taking just one shot and scoring two points off two free throws in his first seven minutes, Santos was a perfect 5 of 5 from the field in the second quarter for 10 points. All his work was done around the rim, with the furthest shot he made being eight feet away.
It was a display of fancy footwork for Santos. A patient approach of rip-throughs and euro steps was his ticket to scoring and the Kings’ defense didn’t have an answer.
Santos ended with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and six rebounds, but his five turnovers are a number Kerr will want to see cut in half.
Money Man
The morning began for Podziemski by reportedly signing a new five-year, $110 million extension. The night ended with him doing what he does and stuffing the stat sheet.
Podziemski scored a modest 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including 3 of 7 from 3-point range and 3 of 4 at the free-throw line. He cut to the rim and found his way to the free-throw line early. He also hit back-to-back threes in the third quarter.
Plus, Podziemski’s seven rebounds were second to Lendeborg’s 10.
It won’t get talked about much but Podziemski’s ability to draw fouls is huge in his growth. Podziemski shot 63.3 percent from the free-throw line as a rookie and has improved ever since. He was up to 75.8 percent in his second season and 79.7 percent last season.
If Podziemski can be 80 percent or above, he can average north of 15 points per game and stack 20-point performances.
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