"Try not to wet the bed as bad as I did."
That was the lesson for Yaxel Lendeborg after the first really bad game of his Golden State Warriors career, having fouled out from Friday's comeback victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center.
Lendeborg didn't just foul out, but he committed five turnovers, was a -20, and had just six points and one rebound in his 24 minutes. Fortunately for the 11th overall pick, his teammates had his back as the Warriors recovered from a 25-point deficit to record an extraordinary 17-point win.
Lendeborg's brutal self-assessment following Friday's game hasn't been a once off, and it's also why the young forward could be destined for greatness based on the first two weeks of his NBA career.
Yaxel Lendeborg's brutal self-admission is what will make him great
Lendeborg didn't necessarily need to talk after Friday's game, let alone make such an in-your-face admission about his performance. But it's become part and parcel of the Lendeborg experience dating back to summer league, and he often discusses more nuanced elements of the game where he needs to drastically improve, particularly when it comes to the defensive side of the ball.
Many young players don't have that level of self awareness or desire to learn, especially if they've just come from being a dominant college player as Lendeborg was after leading Michigan to the NCAA Championship earlier this year.
Even many older players struggle with firstly identifying their flaws, then implementing changes to address them. Often times that can be the difference when it comes to the level of team success that was yielded across their career.
Lendeborg averaged an incredible 22.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists prior to Friday's game against the Lakers, but its been his attitude and character, not just the on-court production and impact, that screams future star.
Yaxel Lendeborg has the character to be an NBA star
Lendeborg not only quite clearly has the all-around game and talent required, but he also carries himself with the kind of swagger and confidence that suggests he knows he's not destined to just be a 10-year role player in the league.
Behind that swagger and confidence is also someone who can self-assess and critical reflect on their weaknesses, with Lendeborg already proving capable of identifying and improving on issues in an incredibly short span of time.
That's what often makes the greats just that, rather than players who often promise so much but under deliver on the individual, and particularly team success, that they could have achieved.
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