No rookie faces greater pressure than being expected to fill a superstar’s void. Shouldering the load as a franchise’s future while also amplifying the stars around him is a task few are cut out for.
When Jimmy Butler went down with an ACL tear last January, all hope for a final championship push in the Stephen Curry era was vanquished. Their second-best player was gone in the blink of an eye.
Butler famously called the tandem of him and Curry Batman and Robin.
With Butler out for the first few months of this season, rookie Yaxel Lendeborg has done his best to fill his void.
Lendeborg’s One-On-One Scoring
The Warriors don’t expect Lendeborg to walk in and be a replica of Butler. No one can replace a six-time All-Star with 15 years of NBA experience.
He and Lendeborg are not the same player. But their similarities have helped Lendeborg keep the ship afloat without him.
Much of what made Butler’s migration to Golden State so seamless was his versatility. His ability to playmake, defend, and attack the basket all while minimizing turnovers was an answered prayer for the Warriors. Best of all, he held the fort down when Curry went to the bench for a breather.
Watching Lendeborg take the court for real NBA games — not just Summer League or preseason — it is clear that he is capable of doing the same.
The Dominican forward is slowly learning how to pick his spots and know when to attack. Maintaining aggression is something the Warriors continue to implore him to do. Just as Butler was a threat that forced defenses to care about someone other than Curry, Lendeborg has the same effect.
Both Lendeborg and Butler give the Warriors a different dynamic they haven’t had much of in the past. The ability to isolate either player one-on-one, trusting that a possession will end in a basket or free throws, is something Steve Kerr was thrilled to have again in Lendeborg.
Lendeborg ranks seventh in the league in points per possession in isolation, including fourth in isolation field goal percentage. The beauty of the two forwards is that just as well as they can get a bucket, they also have the IQ to make the right passes. One of the Warriors’ biggest issues is that much of their roster struggles one-on-one. Possessions often ended in sloppy turnovers or rejected shots after making the first step.
Coach Kerr Is Implementing Plays From Butler
Neither Butler nor Lendeborg panic when tangled up, even when it seems like there is no way out of a tough possession.
The similarities in their capabilities were evident to Kerr. He has leaned on the connection between their two styles to put Lendeborg in positions for success.
“Jimmy’s been probably the No.1 iso guy for us over my time here,” Kerr said after their 116-113 victory over the Suns. “We’ve been putting in some of the things that we run for Jimmy in for Yaxel the last couple of games. Putting the ball in certain spots to attack with certain guys on him, that sort of thing.”
Lendeborg, three inches taller than his vet, powers to the basket just as easily, if not more than Butler. With his size and basketball IQ, Lendeborg gets past defenders with ease. He uses his skills to score himself or get shots for those around him.
“The similarity [between Lendeborg and Butler] is the brute strength and ability to create a shot for himself or his teammate… Yaxel is having a similar impact in that when Steph’s not on the floor or is tired. We can go to Yaxel in isolation, and he can create stuff for us. So he’s a really big weapon for us,” Kerr said on 95.7’s Willard and Dibs.
Lendeborg’s Impact Offensively
Arguably the most important aspect of adding Lendeborg is how he has alleviated Curry’s load.
For all the crossover between Lendeborg and Butler, the new Warrior is a much better three-point shooter.
The spacing, especially from three-point territory, is a match made in heaven for the greatest shooter of all time and one of the most skilled rookies. Though the sample size is small, the Curry-Lendeborg duo ranks second in the league in scoring.
Curry also referenced the intersection between Lendeborg and Butler’s game.
“He’s so calm with the ball in his hands as a playmaker,” he said of Lendeborg. “And he can get schemes where you highlight that and put him in a position to be successful with spacing around him. It’s very Jimmy-esque in a way, but in a different way where he can slow possessions down and create a threat — whether it’s picking on a mismatch or driving the lane with space where nobody can really stay in front of him.”
The parallels between the JUCO products have become so apparent that Brandin Podziemski revisited film on Butler to better fit alongside Yaxel.
“I mean, it’s really a lot like playing with Jimmy,” Podziemski said of playing off the ball next to Lendeborg. “They want the ball kind of in the same area, so for me, just going back and watching some stuff that I did with Jimmy to get him catches against matchups he likes.”
The Warriors can post him up, play him out of the elbow, or make him a three-point shooter.
Through the first eight games, Yaxel is averaging 21.5 points on 50% from the field and 40% from three. He leads the team with seven rebounds a game and plays the second most minutes per game.
Improving Defense and Turnovers
Two key areas where Lendeborg (and the team) could adapt from Butler are turnovers and defense. On a team with turnover-prone guys like Curry and Draymond Green, ball security is crucial.
Butler has historically been a low-turnover player and led the Warriors in assist-to-turnover ratio last season.
Conversely, Yaxel is leading the Dubs in turnovers per game, including a seven-turnover outing against the Timberwolves.
On the defensive side of the ball, Kerr referred to Lendeborg’s weak-side awareness on defense as poor. The Warriors hope Lendeborg can become at least a steady help-side defender—an area Butler excelled in.
Knowing when/where to help defensively is especially significant playing alongside Green. Without a traditional center, Draymond is typically the back line of defense. His partnership with Butler not only fortified their defense, but also allowed them to gamble more on that side of the ball.
Lendeborg now has to fill that role until Butler returns.
Learning From Butler
Although Lendeborg and Butler have yet to play together, Lendeborg is soaking up knowledge from the All-Star. Dating back to Butler’s team minicamp in San Diego, Yaxel pried him with questions. The 37-year-old has been more than happy to share his wisdom.
Butler, along with Green, gave him insight on how to avoid a three-second violation while guarding in the paint — a pitfall that can trip up young defenders. He also offered tips on how he can create more scoring opportunities.
“We’ve talked a lot. He always pulls me to the side after a film session or some kind of practice and just tells me little gems to know,” Lendeborg revealed on The Kevin O’Connor Show. “Things about the offensive end, what I need to do, how I can get myself more open.”
“He’s signature for the post Jimmy shimmy-jab, go, get fouled, stuff like that. So you know, he’s teaching me a lot of little things that I can implement into my game, and I’ve really been very appreciative of the whole thing.”
Lendeborg did his best Butler impression against the Denver Nuggets when he attempted 13 free throws. The Warriors are pushing him to stay aggressive because it could result in either a bucket for the team or foul shots. Butler was the best on the team at getting to the line and snagging extra points at the charity stripe.
Should Lendeborg be able to make that a consistent part of his game – and knock them down — he will be unstoppable.
Yaxel Is Their Second-Best Player
Curry once credited Butler for restoring hope to the team and revitalizing the group upon his arrival. He has also expressed the same sentiment about Lendeborg.
Kerr has already anointed Yaxel the team’s No. 2 option, cementing him as a starter for the foreseeable future.
Without Butler, Lendeborg is also the new leader of the second unit. The bench played an integral role in stabilizing the non-Curry minutes last season thanks to Butler. Kerr is staggering Curry and Lendeborg’s minutes to ensure one of them is on the court, as he did with Butler.
Growing pains are part of the process, as shown in his six-point night on Oct. 30 against the Lakers.
The Warriors recognize they are asking a lot out of the 24-year-old, but they believe he can handle it. He is already trusted late in games with the ball in his hands. He carried the team against the Clippers without Curry, erupting for 37 points.
They don’t need him to be a carbon copy of Jimmy Butler.
Lendeborg can have Butler’s basketball smarts and attack-mindedness while using his own size and shooting to his advantage.
If his style just so happens to mirror Butler in some ways, the Warriors won’t complain.
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