Yaxel Lendeborg crashes without Stephen Curry: "I'm mentally screwed right now"

The absence of Stephen Curry was supposed to be an opportunity for Yaxel Lendeborg to show that he can take on responsibilities with the Golden State Warriors. However, the rookie's first game as the team's main offensive reference turned into a true nightmare. 

The Warriors lost 123-85 to the San Antonio Spurs, and the young player delivered a performance far from what he had shown in the first weeks of the competition.

Lendeborg finished with only 3 points, seven rebounds, and three turnovers, after making just one of his 13 shots. This was a particularly concerning performance considering he arrived at the game averaging 21.7 points and 7.4 rebounds in his first 12 NBA games, numbers that had placed him among the top candidates for the Rookie of the Year award.

The player himself acknowledged his frustration after a night in which he never felt comfortable.

"We just lost by about 100 points. So, you know, I'm messed up mentally right now," Lendeborg admitted after the game.

The fear of Wembanyama and a night to forget

The responsibility of offensively replacing Curry was a significant challenge for a player who was enjoying a spectacular start to his professional career. In fact, just 12 hours before the game, after the morning practice in San Antonio, Lendeborg had admitted that he had mixed feelings about the opportunity.

His confidence was at a six out of ten. The other four points represented doubts about whether he would be able to rise to the occasion and help the team as he wanted.

"Am I going to be able to rise to the occasion? Am I going to be able to help the team the way I want? But time will tell," he had explained before the game.

The answer came in the worst possible way. San Antonio started with an 18-0 run, and Lendeborg suffered two turnovers and missed two shots in his first attempts during a first quarter in which he virtually disappeared offensively.

"I was baffled throughout the game. I couldn’t make a single damn layup," he later admitted.

One of the major problems for Golden State was the presence of Victor Wembanyama. The Warriors only managed to make 10 of their 42 shots with the Frenchman on the court, a 24% success rate that represents the worst record of any team in a game with the center on the court during his career.

The fear of the Frenchman's blocks completely affected the offensive decisions of the visitors. Lendeborg himself admitted that many players avoided attacking the paint for fear of encountering Wembanyama.

"Nobody wanted to go into the paint. Nobody wanted him to block them. So, we were all doing pretty weak floaters. I don’t know how many of us practiced that shot. Especially me. I shot like seven. I haven't practiced floaters since my junior college days," he explained.

Before the game, the rookie had asserted that he would try to look for three-point shots to overcome the Frenchman's defense. However, he only attempted two three-pointers and missed both.

"He's thinner than I am. I just have to go up, elbow him in the chest, and jump into his body or something like that. If he blocks me, then he blocks me. I can't go up with fear," he had commented.

Lendeborg does not want to forget the Warriors' loss

The performance against San Antonio contrasts sharply with the spectacular start to the season that the rookie was having. Earlier this month, also taking advantage of Curry's absence, Lendeborg had recorded 37 points in a victory against the Los Angeles Clippers, demonstrating that he had the capability to take on a leading role.

But the Spurs are another story. Victor Wembanyama's team came into the game with ten consecutive wins and extended their streak to eleven after overpowering Golden State.

The loss leaves the Warriors with a record of 8-5 and forces the team to seek solutions during the absence of their star player. Curry will be out for at least two weeks due to an abdominal oblique strain, an injury that could keep him off the court for longer.

Golden State will have two days off before visiting the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday, again without their main offensive reference.

Meanwhile, Lendeborg will have to manage one of the first major disappointments of his NBA career. And, contrary to what others advised him after the game, he has no intention of moving on quickly.

"I'm not going to put this behind me. I don’t know what others will do. Everyone said to forget it and move on. I can’t just throw this away," he concluded.

A very difficult night for the rookie, who will now have to demonstrate that this stumble against Wembanyama and the Spurs is just an accident in a season start that, until this Friday, had been extraordinary.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Yaxel Lendeborg se estrella sin Stephen Curry: "Estoy jodido mentalmente ahora mismo"