3 Takeaways from Yaxel Lendeborg's Comments After Career-Worst Game vs. Spurs

Yaxel Lendeborg might be the most honest player to interview in the NBA.

Lendeborg had just three points on 1-of-13 shooting with three turnovers and one assist against the Spurs on Friday. He was game-worst minus-40 as the Warriors fell 123-85.

Following the game, Lendeborg was very hard on himself. Let's get into his comments.

Lendeborg Is Dealing with the Shock of Losing Big for the First Time in His Career

Most players who make the NBA led dominant teams at every level until the NBA. Eventually every NBA player will be on a team that has some blowout losses, and it's most common for the player to experience it as a rookie.

Over time, players learn not to dwell too much on one bad game. It's the NBA. Sometimes you get beat, but it's just one of 82.

Lendeborg hasn't figured out that compartmentalizing skill yet.

"We got the s--t beat outta us," Lendeborg said. "I don't know what to learn, man. I was flustered the entire game, man. Couldn't make a damn layup."

He was later asked if he's gonna move past this game. "I'm not gonna move past this. ... I can't throw a damn thing out the window. We just lost by like 100. So, you know, I'm f--ked up mentally right now."

I love the passion and honesty, but I wonder how sustainable it is to have this kind of reaction to a loss when it's likely that 30-plus more of them are coming this season alone.

Lendeborg's Proposed Wemby Solution Could Backfire

Lendeborg expressed regret about how he and the Warriors attacked Victor Wembanyama.

"Nobody wanted to go into the paint, nobody wanted to get their shot blocked by him, so we were all doing a bunch of weak-ass floaters," Lendeborg said, who added he hasn't practiced floaters since his JUCO days at Arizona Western.

He also said: "I just wasn't being aggressive. Like, he's skinnier than me. I just gotta put an elbow in his chest and jump into his body or something. Like, if he blocks it, he blocks it. If not...like, I can't be going up there scared, though."

What makes Wembanyama uniquely difficult to score on is the fact he can block your shot even if you perfectly use your body to jump into him.

That's what makes him the most impactful defender in the sport.

So when he's in the paint, the best option is almost always to kick it out.

Stephen Curry is uniquely equipped to solve the Wemby conundrum. He gets the 7'4" center 30-plus feet away from the basket on pick-and-rolls, which is where you want him.

With Curry not playing, it's difficult to get Wemby out of the key on defense, which makes it harder for anyone to score.

Lendeborg Might Be Too Candid About His Mental State

Lenderborg essentially admitted that he lost confidence after one or two missed shots early in the game.

"First shot, in and out. I was like, "Yep, it's gonna be a bad day.' Next shot ... I think I airballed a floater. ... once that airball happens on a floater, it's like, yeah, man, it's over for the rest of the game."

It's not as simple as if Lendeborg misses his first two shots, he'll be destined to go 1-of-13 every game. The Spurs are arguably the best team in the NBA and the Warriors are more depleted offensively than they will be for most of the season. In most other games, Lendeborg will have more obvious ways to get a rhythm.

Still, I can't help but wonder if opposing teams are seeing these comments and drawing confidence from them. It does make it seem like he's more mentally fragile than he should be.

To this point, Lendeborg has bounced back after every bad stretch of a game (or every bad game, period) he's had. If he does that against the Pelicans and for the rest of this five-game road trip, that will speak louder than his Spurs postgame admission does.

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