It was a rough night for Bay Area basketball, with the Golden State Warriors getting absolutely blown out by the Los Angeles Lakers in their first game of the season. What a way to kick off the new campaign, right? After watching the Golden State Valkyries get crushed in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals earlier, fans had to be hoping for some redemption, but it just wasn’t in the cards. It can only get better from here… I hope.
Lendeborg’s Fiery Debut Lights Up a Dark Night
Amidst the wreckage of a dreadful season opener, there was one dude who actually brought some much needed energy and entertainment: Yaxel Lendeborg. The No. 11 overall pick made his NBA debut, clocking in 29 minutes and dropping 12 points, grabbing 3 rebounds, dishing out 2 assists, and snagging 1 steal. Sure, he had 4 turnovers and his true-shooting percentage was 48.7 percent, but from an entertainment standpoint? This Michigan product was everything.
Lendeborg apparently wasted zero time getting into it with Luka Dončić. He was trash-talking him all night long. Seriously, all night. For a guy making his NBA debut, that’s a wild move, and it’s exactly the kind of fire a team needs when they’re getting smacked around. The writer even said he “appears to be the savior we’ve been searching for.” If it wasn’t for a Steph Curry flurry early in the first quarter, Lendeborg might have been the *only* entertaining part of the whole game. There’s a lot for him to work on from a strictly basketball standpoint, but man, that debut was something else.
Santos Gets Torched By Dončić, Lands a “C-” Grade
On the flip side, Gui Santos had a tough go. He put up 12 points, 5 rebounds, and a steal in 25 minutes, shooting 5-for-10 from the field. Those numbers look okay on paper, and he even tied for the team lead in rebounds. But the struggle was real defensively. Luka Dončić just had his way with Santos, leaving him feeling like he was stranded on a “haunted island” every time Dončić attacked.
Now, we all know Dončić is one of the greatest scorers ever, so it’s not a shock to struggle against him. But this matchup was apparently “particularly uncompetitive,” so much so that head coach Steve Kerr was trying to keep Santos off Dončić all game. Santos had his usual good energy and hustle, but the competitive showing just wasn’t there until the game was already out of hand. For his efforts, he earned a “C-” grade. That’s a rough start to the season, for sure.
So, the season kicked off with a blowout loss for the Warriors. It was a tough night, an absolute gut punch to start the season. But if Yaxel Lendeborg’s debut is any indication, at least there’s some fight and genuine entertainment value on this team. It’s gotta get better from here, right? We’ll see how they bounce back.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Golden State of Mind.
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