Yaxel Lendeborg looks comfortable at the five, Brandin Podziemski signed a brand new 5-year deal, and the Dubs might have a center issue.
SAN FRANCISCO – The Golden State Warriors came into the season with the aspirations of postseason basketball and emerging as a threat in a loaded western conference, but it will be difficult to achieve that without 7-foot-3 Latvian center Kristaps Porzingis.
Porzingis has yet to be seen around the facility or with the team. The front office and head athletic trainer Rick Celebrini are in constant communication with Porzingis, but court work “remains indefinite.”
Center and front-court depth was already an issue coming into the season as the Warriors now only have 40-year-old Al Horford and Draymond Green. Possibly they could play small ball and have Yaxel Lendeborg at the five. We saw a little bit of that on Tuesday night against the Lakers.
Kerr neither ruled it out nor committed to it.
“It’s too early to make that assessment; we’re literally a week into this,” Kerr said.
Lendeborg has shined in the preseason after another dazzling performance on Saturday night against the Sacramento Kings.
Lendeborg had a double-double. He put up 23 points in 23 minutes on 10-of-14 shooting and also had 10 rebounds and six assists.
The most surprising thing of the night was how much Steve Kerr already trusts the 24-year-old rookie. In the past, Kerr has been a coach who has been very reluctant to trust young players in the rotation. It took Jordan Poole a trip to the G League to make it back into the rotation before becoming a key factor in the Warriors’ 2022 championship run. Yes, it’s a challenging journey for young players attempting to break into Coach Kerr’s rotation.
But Yaxel is different. We saw multiple instances of this on Saturday night. Kerr already feels comfortable using Lendeborg as a ball-handler and is giving him the freedom to learn on the fly.
At Lendeborg’s size, he’s an automatic mismatch initiating offense as a playmaker and using his length around the rim. For a 24-year-old rookie, he is a cheat code that the Warriors are going to go to early and often this season with Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler out.
The Warriors do also have Charles Bassey and Graham Ike, who are traditional centers but don’t have much experience beyond being backups.
In terms of looking for a lineup with the most potential, Yaxel Lendeborg at the 5 would be the obvious choice. The Warriors are the NBA franchise that pioneered the small-ball offense with the Hamptons Five after all.
Brandin Podziemski got the deal he was looking for. Podziemski and the Warriors agreed to a five-year, $110 million rookie-scale contract extension, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Saturday, citing WME agent Bill Duffy.
A deal that had many Bleacher Report comment sections clowning the Warriors for overpaying, but nevertheless the Warriors do not care and gave what they believe is appropriate for their player.
The no. 19 overall pick from the 2023 draft is entering his fourth season in the NBA and has rounded into a very solid rotational piece for the Warriors.
Podziemski has improved in his first three NBA seasons, averaging 9.2 points per game as a rookie and 13.8 points in 82 games last season.
On Saturday night against the Kings, Podziemski scored a modest 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting, including knocking down three three-pointers. He was also active on the glass, finishing with 7 rebounds.
The Warriors are expecting big things from the fourth-year guard this season, as it is almost certain that he starts in the backcourt next to Stephen Curry.
Podziemski isn’t a star, and that’s okay. His stats don’t pop, but he does all the little things that lead to wins. That is why the Warriors paid him and locked him up through the 2032 season.
The Warriors’ next preseason game is on Tuesday night in Los Angeles against the Lakers. Tip-off is at 7 PM.
Opening night is officially nine days away.
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