Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr pushed back on rookie Yaxel Lendeborg’s postgame boasting about his defense on Luka Doncic, even as the Lakers star torched the team for 28 points in a blowout win Wednesday night in San Francisco.
Lendeborg had drawn attention for a heated exchange with Doncic during the Warriors’ season opener, saying afterward that he “lost all respect” for the Lakers superstar over what he called “whining” to officials. He also pointed to the box score in the one-on-one matchups, where he held Doncic to 1-of-5 shooting, and said he told Doncic directly that he couldn’t score on him.
Kerr wasn’t interested in that distinction.
“Who the eff cares?” Kerr said. “He did a good job on Luka 1-on-1, but we got torched by Luka as a team. I don’t care. … It’s like, they scored 120 on us. That stuff’s all bulls–t. It’s our defense. He knows that. I talked to him the other day. Our defense was not good regardless of him individually when he guarded the ball.”
Lendeborg finished his NBA debut with 12 points, four personal fouls and one technical foul in 29 minutes.
Beyond the defensive debate, Kerr offered more direct critique of the rookie’s effort level on the floor.
“He’s a little bit of a coaster,” Kerr said. “I want to see him run the floor harder. I think that will open up a lot of opportunities. He’s so skilled and big that if we get him to run the court — both ways — a little harder, a little faster, he’s going to end up finding the ball more and be more of a threat.”
Kerr sided with veteran Steph Curry’s view that Lendeborg will need to prove himself through performance rather than words. The rookie won’t have long to wait for his next test: the Warriors host the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday for their home opener, which will mark Lendeborg’s first NBA meeting with Duke product Cameron Boozer, the No. 3 overall pick taken eight spots ahead of him in the draft. Lendeborg has said he circled the matchup on his calendar.
A rematch with Doncic and the Lakers looms as well, with Golden State set to host Los Angeles at Chase Center next Friday.
Despite the criticism, Kerr made clear he isn’t souring on his rookie.
“I love the young guy. He’s really talented. I love his competitiveness,” Kerr said. “Like I said, I didn’t mind the stuff the other day. But as Steph said, you’ve got to back it up. That’s the thing. We play the Lakers again next week, so, OK, here you go.”
