Yaxel Lendeborg led the Warriors to their first win of the season tonight with an iconic double-double, defeating the Nuggets 134-114. The 24-year-old rookie finished as the game’s leading scorer with 31 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and one block.

He shot 9-for-19 from the floor (47.4% FG) and 1-for-8 from the three-point line (12.5% 3P). While Lendeborg’s shooting may not have been as efficient, he drew fouls on the Nuggets’ defence and got to the free-throw line, where he made 12 of 13 attempts.

After the game, Stephen Curry and Steve Kerr praised Yaxel Lendeborg’s promising performance.

“His composure. I mean, he just came off of an NCAA championship run. He’s just got composure and feel,” said Stephen Curry on what impressed him the most about Yaxel Lendeborg tonight.

“He’s obviously, you know, his size on the court, he’s a matchup problem, but he’s never really in a hurry, and he’s starting to see the pictures really well, distributing, being aggressive, getting to the free-throw line, offensive rebounding. Kinda a full package, so we want him to continue playing aggressively,” Curry further added.

The Warriors’ head coach, Steve Kerr, added that they may have found the perfect second option to Stephen Curry, especially in clutch situations.

“He’s as strong as an ox, and the way that this game is played, he’s going to get to the line a ton. You saw it tonight: in all the critical spots, we put the ball in his hands. For a rookie to be that advanced already is extremely rare. But it’s exciting because I think he’s going to get a lot better too,” said Steve Kerr on what he saw from Yaxel Lendeborg tonight.

“It changes everything when you get to the line consistently; you can control the game. The team goes on a run if you get to a guy like Yax, Jimmy, who gets fouled, the game slows down, and you get to set your defense.”

“So the game becomes a lot easier. So Yax having that ability combined with his passing skills, he’s going to be a guy who closes games like he did tonight,” Steve Kerr confidently said.

Just as Yaxel Lendeborg overshadowed Stephen Curry’s performance tonight, Steve Kerr expects him to become even better than he already is.

Considering that the conversation around the expectations for Yaxel Lendeborg is to be the next face of the Warriors franchise, this is certainly a notable moment in Lendeborg’s rookie season, even if it’s just four games into the season.

The 24-year-old is averaging 21.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists while shooting 45.0% from the field and 34.6% from beyond the arc. He is certainly announcing his arrival with vigor.

Do you think the Warriors have found a central piece for their young core in Yaxel Lendeborg? Let us know what you think in the comments section.