Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg vows scorer-first approach with Stephen Curry out
With Stephen Curry out at least two weeks with an oblique tear, Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg says he has to become a scorer first.
The Golden State Warriors will spend the next stretch without Stephen Curry, and the rookie who has played beside him all season says his job has to change. Yaxel Lendeborg told NY Post Sports that he has spent the first month thinking about how to support Curry. Now he wants to go looking for his own shot.
"I gotta be a lot more aggressive. I definitely have to be more in a scorer-first mindset now," Lendeborg said. He was open about the strain that comes with it, too. Speaking with the Post, the 24-year-old wondered aloud whether he can meet what the moment asks of him, and said he would wait and see how it goes.
The moment comes from Curry's MRI. The Warriors announced on Nov. 12 that the scan confirmed an oblique abdominal tear and that Curry will be re-evaluated in two weeks. That timeline only sets up another check-in around Thanksgiving week. It is not a return date, so Golden State is planning for at least several games without its best player.
Lendeborg arrived with expectations. The Warriors took him 11th overall in the 2026 draft after a college career that ran from Arizona Western to UAB and then Michigan, according to his Wikipedia profile. The Post described his first weeks as more about learning than leading, with Curry setting the tone on offense and Lendeborg giving it a lift around him. Golden State is now asking a first-year forward to take on a bigger role in a crowded Western Conference, and the shots Curry usually takes have to go to somebody.
What it means for New Orleans
The Warriors are 8-5, and the record hides how much this season has swung. They opened 0-3, losing at the Lakers, at home to Memphis and at Phoenix. Then they won eight in a row, a streak that included road wins at Denver and Minnesota and a home run through the Lakers, Clippers, Suns, Heat, Magic and Pelicans. Since then the trend has turned again: a 115-108 loss at Houston and a 123-85 loss at San Antonio, where the offense managed its lowest total of the season.
Next is Monday, Nov. 16, at New Orleans, the team Golden State beat 138-87 at Chase Center on Nov. 9. That 51-point win is the best performance on the Warriors' schedule so far, but Curry was on the floor for it. The rematch is the first clear look at what the offense is without him, and at whether Lendeborg's scorer-first plan turns into more shots and more points.
The two most recent games show why that matters. Golden State averaged just under 97 points across the Houston and San Antonio losses, against 122 during the winning streak. Someone has to make up that gap until Curry is cleared. Lendeborg has already said he expects to be the one doing it.