Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr ask more from the Dominican rookie of the Warriors: "We don't want him to be passive"
Yaxel Lendeborg has debuted with Golden State in the preseason, but both the team leader and the coach want to see him improve.
Yaxel Lendeborg made his preseason debut last Sunday with the Golden State Warriors as a starter in the lineup coached by Steve Kerr. The Dominican finished the game with four points in his team's loss to the Warriors by 104-101.
After the match, both Kerr and Stephen Curry pointed out the same aspect that Lendeborg needs to improve: his aggressiveness on offense.
Kerr wants a more aggressive Lendeborg
"Yaxel is good, but we need him to be more aggressive," said Kerr after the game. The Warriors coach cited a specific play from the second half as an example.
"There was a key play in the second half where he was under the basket and dribbled the ball for a pass to Charles Bassey, and they got a three-point basket. That should have been an easy basket for us," explained the coach.
Lendeborg played 19 minutes and made significant contributions in other areas of the game. The Dominican ended with one of six from the field, but led the Warriors in rebounds with nine and recorded three assists without turnovers.
Kerr sees him as a threat when Curry is not on the court
Despite the demand for greater offensive aggressiveness, Kerr's evaluation of Lendeborg is very positive. The coach believes that the Dominican can become the primary offensive threat for the Warriors when Stephen Curry is not on the court.
Curry also emphasized the need for Lendeborg not to take on a passive role, although he assured that the player has met the expectations set for him so far.
"We don’t want him to be passive," noted Curry.
The Warriors will debut against the Lakers
The NBA season will start on Tuesday, October 20, with three games. The Golden State Warriors will debut the following day, October 21, against the Los Angeles Lakers as visitors.
The Dominican Republic has the possibility of having seven players on the opening day rosters with standard, two-way, or Exhibit 10 contracts.
Karl-Anthony Towns, Al Horford, and Yaxel Lendeborg are listed with standard contracts. Chris Mañón, with the Lakers; David Jones-García, with the Spurs; and Koby Brea, with the Suns, have two-way contracts. Lester Quiñones, for his part, has an Exhibit 10 contract with Miami.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Stephen Curry y Steve Kerr piden más al rookie dominicano de los Warriors: "No queremos que sea pasivo"
