It was a tough offseason for the Warriors, who didn’t make any big moves and will enter this season without championship-contending expectations.
asserted
who → make → expectations
Yaxel Lendeborg is proving to be everything the Warriors hoped for when they selected him with the 11th overall pick in June’s NBA Draft.
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they → prove → Draft
The 6-foot-9 forward is a crafty scorer, skilled playmaker and strong rebounder, all things the Warriors need with Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody and Kristaps Porzingis out.
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Warriors → need → Butler
In the Warriors’ exhibition game against the Lakers on Tuesday, Lendeborg finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot.
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Lendeborg → finish → points
“I think it’s a lot easier to get rebounds here,” Lendeborg said.
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Lendeborg → think → rebounds
“In college, the paint was always packed and there’s always somebody coming out of nowhere to rebound.
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paint → pack → college
“These guys, I feel they’re more lazy to get the rebounds.
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they → feel → rebounds
I’m having clear-shot rebounds by myself.
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I → have → myself
It’s crazy.
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It → ’ → ?
I feel like I’ll have a lot of rebounding games where I’ll have like, nine to 12, something like that.”
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I → feel → that
That’s an exciting prospect for the Warriors, considering most incoming NBA players feel out of sorts while adjusting to a sped-up game with bigger and stronger competitors.
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players → ’ → competitors
Lendeborg appears to be having the opposite reaction.
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Lendeborg → appear → reaction
For him, this is easier than anticipated.
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this → anticipate → him
The Warriors selected Lendeborg because they were hoping he was NBA ready.
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he → select → Lendeborg
He’s 24 years old, which is typically a demerit on draft boards for teams coveting young talent who they can develop.
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they → ’ → who
But for the Warriors, who have aging stars, including the 38-year-old Steph Curry, 36-year-old Draymond Green and 37-year-old Butler, acquiring a player who could make an immediate contribution was the team’s priority.
uncertain
who → have → contribution
For those guys, the window to compete is now.
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window → compete → guys
And it’s closing.
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it → close → ?
The franchise needs to do everything possible to prop it open a bit longer.
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franchise → need → it
Lendeborg appears poised to enter the lineup and make a difference.
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Lendeborg → poise → difference
Against the Lakers, he scored all 17 of his points in the first half on 7-for-11 shooting, including going 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
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he → score → arc
Of course, all of this has to be taken with a grain of salt.
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all → have → salt
But still, Lendeborg has turned heads ever since the Warriors drafted him.
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Warriors → turn → him
He went from carrying Michigan to a national championship to leading the Warriors’ summer league team to a title in Las Vegas, including finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds and two steals in the championship game against the Grizzlies.
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He → go → Grizzlies
Lendeborg appears to be the real deal.
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Lendeborg → appear → ?
He’s unafraid.
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He → ’ → ?
He’s ready.
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He → ’ → ?
When it comes to the Warriors, who won four championships in eight years from 2015-2022 before failing to get past the second round of the playoffs the last four years, that’s some much-needed great news.
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that → come → playoffs
In what was otherwise a very uneventful offseason, Lendeborg is proving to be a beacon of hope for the league’s modern day dynasty that’s trying to swim upstream once again.
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that → prove → dynasty
The Aporia
