Yaxel Lendeborg’s early season success is catching everyone’s attention.
The Warriors’ rookie went up against Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant in Golden State’s 115-108 loss on Wednesday night, ending with a team-leading 25 points.
Lendeborg made several shots over Durant and the 19-year NBA veteran praised the 24-year-old after the game.
“He’s a problem,” Durant said on Space City Home Network. “A matchup problem. Being that tall and being able to [have] that skill too, man. I’m excited to see his career unfold and grateful that I got to play against him tonight.”
The Warriors snapped their eight-game winning streak and lost star guard Steph Curry to an injury, a big blow for Golden State. But Lendeborg’s performance kept the team in the game. Durant mentioned how Lendeborg’s strong first half forced Houston to adjust.
“I mean, you’ve got to give them credit,” Durant said postgame. “They’re a championship organization. Yax was playing great ball, he kept them in the game in the first half and we just tried to do everything we can to stop him in that second half. Hopefully Steph [Curry] is all right, he’s been playing great ball. Their team has been playing great ball, so it’s good to get a W.”
Per NBC Sports Bay Area’s Dalton Johnson, Durant signed a jersey for Lendeborg after the game and sent it to the Warriors’ locker room as a sign of respect.
Lendeborg then posted an image of himself guarding Durant on his Instagram story, captioning it with ‘wow man.’
Lendeborg, the No. 11 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, is averaging 21.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists through 12 games and is proving to be a nice complementary star alongside Curry.
Curry will be reevaluated in two weeks, giving Lendeborg the chance to be a focal point.
Golden State will look to bounce back from the loss when it faces the San Antonio Spurs in their second NBA Cup game at 6:30 p.m. PT on Friday at Frost Bank Center.
