Steve Kerr Has Big Plans for Yaxel Lendeborg Moving Forward

The Golden State Warriors need to try something different. 

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Head coach Steve Kerr acknowledged this while addressing the media after his team fell to 0-3 following the 131-122 defeat in Phoenix on Saturday. 

Although Stephen Curry and Draymond Green were absent from that one, Kerr's message still applied. "We can't just rely on the Steph-Dray pick-and-roll, night after night, to close games," he said. 

Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg got his first crack at being the Warriors' offensive hub against the Suns — with Brandin Podziemski (and Jimmy Butler and Kristaps Porzingis) also out — and he delivered, notching a career-high 26 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. 

Kerr liked what he saw from the Michigan product and wants more. 

"We're going to put [Lendeborg] in more and more pick-and-roll situations, playmaking situations, and I have no doubt he's going to help us close a lot of games this year," he added. 

Curry Needs HelpKirby Lee-Imagn Images

Curry is still performing at an elite level at 38. However, with the Warriors so light in personnel and firepower — at least for now — the task for opposing defenses is too easy.  

The scouting reports are largely about taking No. 30 away. And sometimes, when Steph has it going, even that won't work. But at this point in his career, he shouldn't have to be Superman in all 82 games of the regular season. 

That's where ramping up Lendeborg's usage comes in. 

Sure, you never want to put too much on a rookie too early. But Lendeborg is not your average rookie. 

At 6-foot-9, coming off a national championship campaign with Michigan, the big-bodied 24-year-old is more equipped than most to handle the demands of the NBA — both physically and mentally. 

He demonstrates a ton of poise and hunger in every interview, and he backs it up on the hardwood, even if it has only been three games. You don't average 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds by accident. 

In addition, Lendeborg is shooting 44.4 percent from three and dishing out 4.3 assists per game. Kerr wants his defense to improve, particularly around the rim, but the 1.3 steals show the instincts are there — even if unrelated to what the Warriors are currently missing.  

Can't Keep LosingDavid Gonzales-Imagn Images

Golden State is dealing with a ton of injuries. 

They have talked a lot about just wanting to stay above water until Butler and Moses Moody come back around the turn of the calendar. It's unclear when and if Porzingis returns or gets traded. 

However, if the Warriors are to have anything to play for in January, they need to start producing some wins. 

At 0-3, the opening-night blowout loss to the Lakers can be chalked up to a false start. The defeat in Phoenix was pretty much a throwaway due to injury management. But the manner of the 111-108 collapse against the Memphis Grizzlies in the home curtain raiser on Friday is something that cannot become a pattern. 

The Warriors led by 12 with around 3:35 remaining in the fourth quarter, and they couldn't hang on. They're too experienced to have allowed that to happen, but they did. 

And perhaps it's all of that championship seasoning that the Warriors boast that is prompting Kerr to want to spice things up with a new flavor. 

If Lendeborg inheriting more responsibility down the stretch of games turns into victories, Curry won't mind. 

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