Yaxel Lendeborg scored a NBA career-high 26 points in the Golden State Warriors’ 131-122 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.

Afterward, Steve Kerr paired praise for the rookie with a blunt critique of his defense.

Steve Kerr Singles Out the Weak Side for Yaxel Lendeborg

Lendeborg led a short-handed Warriors team in scoring in Phoenix. With Draymond Green (low back soreness) and Brandin Podziemski (lower back injury management) out, the forward made 9 of a team-high 19 shots, including 6 of 11 from 3-point range, and added nine rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes.

Devin Booker answered with 43 points on 17-of-25 shooting for the Suns. Golden State’s largest lead was seven, and Phoenix scored 45 points in the third quarter.

The Warriors head coach said Lendeborg “can dribble, pass, and shoot,” but added, “The biggest thing is continuing to just learn the NBA.” That message came with Golden State at 0-3 and leaning hard on the 24-year-old forward.

Kerr saved his sharpest words for the defensive end: “His weak-side awareness right now is very poor. With his size, he should be one of our best defenders at the rim. Right now, he’s unaware on the weak side …” One fan posted the clip of that answer.

Kerr had opened his postgame assessment with what the rookie already brings: “He’s fearless and he’s huge, and he’s got a great skillset.”

He then walked through one possession that showed the adjustment he wants: “There was a play in the first half where he got free, and then he launched himself into (Khaman) Maluach. We saw that play a few times last night. That’s gotta be a pull-up jumper. That’s gotta be a Euro step. That’s gotta be kick it out. In college, you can do that. But this is a different league.”

Kerr sounded patient about the offensive side: “He’ll learn. He’s playing a ton. He’s going to get all these reps. We’re going to keep showing him film. He’ll get better and better.”

Lendeborg has 1 block through three games, and it came against the Suns, though he had 3 steals against Memphis.

There was another side to his night, too. Golden State outscored Phoenix by five with the forward on the floor and was outscored by 14 in the 12 minutes he sat. He also went the whole night without committing a foul.

Counting his 12-point debut against the Lakers, Lendeborg is averaging 18.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. His scoring has gone up in each game, and he has made 8 of 18 attempts from 3-point range, or 44.4%.

The Warriors visit the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on Monday. They then play at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday and get a rematch with the Suns at Chase Center on Nov. 2.