Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, who has been nothing short of a revelation to open his NBA career, got a rude awakening on Sunday when head coach Steve Kerr benched him with only 2:14 to play against the Clippers, even as Lendeborg was shy of a 40-point performance. Why? Because Lendeborg, sitting at 37 points, got caught up chasing that round number 40, and it nearly cost his team the game.
The Rookie’s Blazing Start Meets a Hard Stop
Seriously, through his first seven games, Lendeborg has been putting up historic numbers. He keeps one-upping himself. On Sunday against the Clippers, he played his best game yet with 37 points on an insane 85% true shooting, draining six of his 11 3-pointers, and dropping six assists. The dude has been outrageously good all season, save for that Lakers game last Friday where Luka Dončić apparently put him through the wringer. Other than that one stumble, it’s been nothing but buckets.
But then, with just over two minutes on the clock, a 21-point Warriors lead got slashed to eight. Why the sudden collapse? Because Yax, influenced by his teammates yelling from the bench, started launching. He missed three 3-pointers in that two-minute span, two of which were described as “total chuck jobs.” He got ahead of himself, trying to hit that 40-point mark, and Kerr saw it unfold right in front of him.
Kerr’s Blunt Truth: “Ethical Hoops” Over Stats
Coach Steve Kerr didn’t mince words after the game. He basically said Yax would’ve gotten 40 if they had kept playing normally. “The NBA game these days can change like that. We all know that. Almost every night, there’s a 25-point lead that is overcome,” Kerr explained. The game flipped, according to Kerr, because “all the guys on the bench were yelling at Yax to get 40. He launched three kind of bad shots.”
The lesson for Lendeborg and the whole team, as Kerr laid it out, is simple: “if you just keep playing, then you stay in rhythm, you stay in flow, the ball moves, and then the game becomes much easier.” It’s tough love, for sure, especially when Kerr admitted, “everybody loves Yax. Everybody wanted him to get 40. They were urging him to shoot from the bench, and It got us out of rhythm a little bit.”
Lendeborg, to his credit, owned it. He’s been an open book all season, willing to admit his mistakes. After the Lakers game, he took full accountability for “wetting the bed.” On Sunday, he was just as candid, stating, “I’ve never been a stat chaser in my life. So, I mean, falling into peer pressure like I did now was pretty much bad on my part. Especially, I’m a guy that loves, like, ethical hoops. I’m a guy that loves efficient basketball, and I didn’t do that for the” (the quote cuts off, but you get the point).
Team Bounces Back, Rookie Gets a Critical Learning Moment
As soon as Kerr pulled Lendeborg, the Warriors got back to business. De’Antony Melton, who was a stud all night, buried back-to-back 3s to put the game back on ice. This team, which opened the season 0-3, has now won four straight, showing they can right the ship even mid-game.
For Yaxel Lendeborg, this was a tough but vital lesson. He’s a phenomenal talent who’s already putting up jaw-dropping numbers. Learning to prioritize “ethical hoops” and efficient basketball over chasing personal milestones, especially when the game is on the line, is a hurdle every young star faces. You can bet he’s going to remember this one, and you have to wonder how that impacts his decision-making in those clutch moments moving forward. This kid is special, and if he internalizes this lesson, watch out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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