Yaxel Lendeborg felt terrible after Wednesday night’s game, with the rookie forward having committed seven turnovers to only one assist during the Golden State Warriors' 119-114 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Yet Lendeborg's seven turnovers actually serve to reiterate how good the young forward already is, having still finished with 26 points and nine rebounds as the Warriors recorded a second-straight impressive road victory.
Yaxel Lendeborg's seven turnovers prove how good he really is
For most young players, seven turnovers would end up resulting in a really bad night, and likely one where their team failed to come away with victory. Instead, Lendeborg was still able to have a major impact, with his 26 points coming on an efficient 11-of-20 shooting from the floor as he and Stephen Curry combined for 70 points as a duo.
The 24-year-old again did it in a variety of ways, whether it be attacking downhill, finishing plays at the rim, or knocking down two of his five three-point attempts. Lendeborg finished as a +10 in his 35 minutes, proving that he didn’t stop his turnover woes from ruining his impact and the team getting the result they were after.
It’s wild to think we’re sitting here after the last two games, where Lendeborg has averaged 28.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists, knowing that he still has improvements to make and that these were far from perfect performances.
His seven turnovers against the Timberwolves came after shooting just 1-of-7 from three-point range against the Denver Nuggets on Monday night, but Lendeborg has still been arguably the biggest factor -- alongside Curry -- in the Warriors starting to get their season back on track after three-straight losses.
Yaxel Lendeborg is already emerging as a star for the Warriors
This is not the production and impact of a role player, nor that of a potential future star, rather one of a legitimate star of the present. Lendeborg still has to produce over the course of a long season rather than a week, but he's already proving why many analysts were wrong in pigeonholing him as simply an older rookie with limited upside.
The very best players find a way to impact winning even when things don't go to plan in every aspect. They do so many things well that they can get away with one element failing them, as opposed to role players who often possess a speciality skill that makes them redundant if it's not working.
In the last three games, Lendeborg has a performance with six three-pointers, one with 12 made free-throws, and one where he was a +10 and had 26 points despite seven turnovers. This is incredibly production from any player, let alone a rookie in his first five games.
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