Yaxel Lendeborg had 17 points, nine rebounds, two assists and a block in 21 minutes as Golden State beat the Lakers 124-98 at Chase Center on Tuesday. Fifteen of the points came in the first half. Then the No. 11 pick in the 2026 draft explained what he had noticed about NBA rebounding.
“I feel like they’re more lazy to get rebounds,” Lendeborg said.
That is a rookie in his second preseason game describing the professional habits of grown men. He is also not wrong often enough for anyone to dismiss it.
Who he actually is
Lendeborg is 23, a 6-9 forward born in Puerto Rico who has played for the Dominican Republic national team. His route was Arizona Western Junior College to UAB to Michigan, then No. 11 overall on June 23.
That path produces a specific kind of player. Junior college rebounding is not optional, and nobody arrives at Michigan from Arizona Western by waiting for the ball to come to them. He was correct that the effort level he grew up with is not the standard everywhere.
He also admitted he is intimidated
The same conversation produced a more human line about his teammates. “I’m still kind of a little like scared to talk with these guys sometimes,” he said, referring to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green.
So he will tell reporters the league is lazy and not say much in the locker room. That is a very 23-year-old combination, and it is more endearing than the headline suggests.
Golden State looked like a real team
The Warriors led by 28 at halftime and 21 after three. Curry scored 16 in 14 minutes on 3-of-6 from three. Brandin Podziemski had 16 points with a steal and a block in 19 minutes, which matters because he is one of four 2023 first-rounders still unsigned ahead of the October 19 rookie-scale extension deadline.
Kristaps Porzingis remains out indefinitely with an undisclosed health issue that has kept him out since camp opened. Steve Kerr said on October 1 that he looks at it “day to day” and hopes “things can improve quickly and we’ll get him back.” Porzingis is on a two-year, $40 million extension with a player option on the second year.
The Lakers were not trying
Los Angeles rested most of its roster on a back-to-back. Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, Arthur Kaluma, Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle all sat. Adou Thiero and Bronny James started.
Sandro Mamukelashvili led the Lakers with 15 on three threes. Jaden Hardy had 13, Quentin Grimes 12. Bronny James had four points and five assists.
So the 26-point margin means nothing. Lendeborg’s 17 and nine against a Lakers roster of reserves means a little. His assessment of NBA rebounding effort means he is going to be fun, and that somebody on another team is going to go get an offensive rebound on him specifically before Halloween.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.