Yaxel Lendeborg drew all the headlines with a mammoth 23-point, 10-rebound, six-assist double-double against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday night, but fellow young forward Gui Santos also quietly went about his business with 15 points and six rebounds in the 111-106 victory.
Lendeborg and Santos are not only a huge part of Golden State's present, but they also represent the future of the Warriors when it comes to the forward position, and there's already reason to believe in the obvious excitement that stemmed from the idea of the pair playing together.
Warriors find future forward duo with Yaxel Lendeborg and Gui Santos
The idea of the Lendeborg-Santos combination is excellent in theory. There's an abundance of versatility that Steve Kerr (and whoever the next Warriors coach is) will love going forward over the coming years. The head coach has already spoken of Lendeborg's simple ability to pass, dribble and shoot, and the same elements apply to Santos who took a major step forward late last season.
Not only do they bring the multi-faceted skills to excel as high-level role players, or in Lendeborg's case the possibility of being a future star, but they do it with legitimate size. At 6'8" and 6'9" respectively, Santos and Lendeborg give the Warriors size integrity which should prevent Kerr from the kind of three-guard lineups that have so often frustrated fans over recent years.
Saturday's game was the first time we've seen this combination truly delve into reality. Sure, it was only a preseason game against the lowly Kings, but there should be no shortage of excitement around the fact Lendeborg and Santos led Golden State in scoring.
Lendeborg was the star of the show and even drew comparisons to Orlando Magic star and former number one overall pick Paolo Banchero, while Santos continued to showcase the clever footwork and crafty finishing that was a highlight of the final months of last season.
Warriors lock in three young players for their post-Stephen Curry future
Santos is starting an incredibly team-friendly three-year, $15 million contract, with Lendeborg beginning his standard four-year rookie contract. Combine that with Brandin Podziemski signing his five-year, $110 million contract extension on Saturday, and the Warriors have their three best young players under contract for a period that will likely extend beyond franchise superstar Stephen Curry.
The next question becomes whether at least one of the trio can pop into becoming a legitimate All-Star in the league. For as valuable and good as they are, Golden State won't go too far in the post-Curry era with just a bunch of good role players.
Fortunately for the team and the individuals, all three will get major opportunity to impact the present and also give the Warriors a chance to evaluate what exactly they've got for the post-Curry timeline.
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