It did not take long for Golden State Warriors fans to get amped up over first-round draft pick Yaxel Lendeborg. His play in the NBA Summer League quickly turned heads, although he does have a clear Achilles heel which could come back to bite him in the regular season.
Many have called out Lendeborg’s lackluster defense so far, but what may be more of a red flag is his unsustainable shooting percentage from 3-point range. Through four games his 3-point percentage was over 60%, which was always going to dip and may set too high an expectation on what he can deliver next season.
In his final year of college at Michigan, Lendeborg shot just over 37% frombeyond the arc. That’s entirely respectable and if he made the three at that same rate as a rookie next season, the Warriors would certainly sign up for it.
But fans can’t get overly excited if he gets hot with his shot early in the year. If fans can remember back to last season early on, rookie Will Richard was lighting it up and was shooting the ball really well from deep.
As the season went on though, Richard wasn't able to keep it up and his stats and usage dwindled as he openly hit a rookie wall. One hopes Lendeborg does not meet a similar fate.
Yaxel Lendeborg doesn't need to be a sharpshooter to be effective
The good thing with Lendeborg is that he doesn’t have to shoot great to be an effective player. His size makes him a presence in the paint and he’s also been a great rebounder and facilitator, averaging 6.7 boards and 4.5 assists in summer league to date.
Even Stephen Curry is going to have off shooting nights, but players really prove how good they are when their shot isn’t on. Are they able to score in other ways or at least find opportunities for their teammates to score? That's what will define whether Lendeborg can be an effective player.
Rookies are always going to face a steep learning curve in the NBA. The league can adjust to players very quickly and Lendeborg is going to have to learn how to utilize all his skills in different ways.
Thankfully he has a lot of great veteran players around him who will help him on his journey, meaning that even if his 3-point shooting is unsustainable, they can help educate him on how to be a consistent producer on the floor in other aspects.
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