A quiet offseason left the Warriors in a position that seems similar to previous season beginnings. The franchise’s goal remains the same: maximize the twilight of Steph Curry’s career by competing for another NBA championship. However, injuries to Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody paired with minimal offseason personnel changes create a new need for Golden State: immediate impact from rookie Yaxel Lendeborg.
“The nature of our league and social media and all the microscopes is that they’re going to expect him to be a 20-8-6 guy like right out the gate – or whatever number you put on him. His job is to block all that out,” Curry told reporters Tuesday in Hawaii at the team’s first day of training camp. “He’ll know if he’s impactful. He’ll know if he’s helping win games. The stats and the numbers will follow.”
Lendeborg, the Warriors’ first lottery draft pick since 2021, will be closely scrutinized and used as a measuring stick for the team’s ability to stay afloat until Butler’s return. A reliance on statistical measurements, as Curry explains, will not adequately...