If you need a reason to believe that early-season plus-minus numbers should be taken with a grain of salt, look no further than to Yaxel Lendeborg and the Golden State Warriors through the first eight games.
Lendeborg has made headlines across the league for his impact on the Warriors and the resurgence they've seen as a result, having recorded a fifth-straight win on Monday after facing a 17-point deficit in the first half against the Phoenix Suns.
Lendeborg's impact is being felt everywhere across the franchise and even the league, yet not in the box score where he, quite shockingly given what we've seen, ranks dead last on the team to open the season.
Yaxel Lendeborg shockingly ranks last in Warriors plus-minus
Golden State have been outscored by 21 points in Lendeborg's 255 minutes so far this season. Gary Payton II is also at -21 in his 111 minutes, while Al Horford (-13), De'Anthony Melton (-9), Draymond Green (-6) and Will Richard (-2) are the only other players in the negatives who've logged at least 100 minutes on the floor.
It's rather startling that Lendeborg has achieved what he has while also holding this unwanted statistic. The 11th overall pick has not only emerged as a strong Rookie of the Year contender, but he's even generating All-Star buzz as he becomes the clear second option on the Warriors without Jimmy Butler.
This is why it's often futile to look at plus-minus numbers so early in the season, and why the eye test should remain the primary focus for evaluation. No one's denying that Lendeborg has completely changed the complexion of the Golden State franchise, both from a short and long-term perspective.
Many of the other numbers are also working in his favor, starting with the raw box score statistics. Lendeborg is averaging 21.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.9 assists, shooting a highly efficient 50% from the floor, 40% from three-point range, and 76.9% from the free-throw line.
Yaxel Lendeborg still has major room for improvement
If we're to spin the negative plus-minus into a positive, it's that it proves Lendeborg still has major room for improvement. The biggest detriment to his plus-minus came on Friday against the Los Angeles Lakers, having been a -20 in a game the Warriors stormed back to win by 17 after a 25-point deficit in the first-half.
Lendeborg had just six points, recorded five turnovers and went without an assist before fouling out in 24 minutes. The game was a true indication of his deficiencies at this stage -- turnovers, defense and foul issues.
The great news for the Warriors is that Lendeborg has already flipped the state of their season and future outlook, while still holding areas for improvement that will inevitably show up in the plus-minus.
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