Just four games into his NBA career, Golden State Warriors forward Yaxel Lendeborg is already generating Rookie of the Year buzz. A day after his career-best performance in Monday’s 134-114 road win over the Denver Nuggets, The Ringer’s Bill Simmons went a step further, likening the 24-year-old to mid-2010s LeBron James.

Some fans felt the flattering comparison went too far, while others used it to take shots at Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets’ defense.

NBA Fans Push Back on Bill Simmons’ Yaxel Lendeborg-LeBron James Comparison

Lendeborg finished Monday’s victory with a game-high 31 points on 9-for-19 shooting (47.4%), 12 rebounds, and 6 assists. He struggled from deep, going 1-for-8 (12.5%), but made up for it at the free-throw line, hitting 12 of 13 attempts (92.3%) after repeatedly attacking the rim.

After Stephen Curry checked out late in the third quarter with the Warriors leading 87-77, Lendeborg helped push the advantage to 100-84 by the end of the period. The rout gave Golden State its first win of the season after a shaky 0-3 start, and its first at Ball Arena since 2022, with Lendeborg drawing high praise from the NBA world for his versatility and dependability as a go-to scorer.

The No. 11 pick’s big night also had Simmons changing his tune about the Warriors, who have been weathering the absences of Jimmy Butler (knee) and Kristaps Porziņģis (illness).

“I was convinced before last night that this was one of the five worst teams in the league and maybe one of the three worst, and the moment Steph got hurt, this was gonna be beyond grim. That leads me to my first overreaction after one week … Yaxel might have single-handedly saved the Steph era, like for real,” Simmons said on Tuesday’s episode of “The Bill Simmons Podcast.”

Simmons then sent his “overreaction” into full gear:

“Yaxel looked like mid-2010s LeBron in this game. I don’t say that lightly, because mid-2010s LeBron was awesome. He was doing it. They were running the offense through him. He was all over the place on defense.”

Much of the backlash centered on Simmons immediately drawing a parallel to arguably the greatest player in NBA history at the peak of his powers.

“Nobody is comparable to LeBron. LeBron is in a league of his own,” one fan replied.

“He hooping fasho, but let’s relax, do you know who 2010s LeBron is? That’s the best player to ever play the game, are you out of ya mind?” another questioned.

“One of the worst takes I’ve ever heard. Not a surprise it’s coming from him tho, he usually has some bad takes,” one fan asserted.

Others blamed Denver’s defense for Simmons’ bullishness. The Nuggets allowed Golden State to shoot 46-for-85 overall (54.1%), including 22-for-44 from deep (50%), with the Warriors scoring 74 points after halftime.

“The things a Jokić-led defense makes people say. My word,” one fan quipped.

“This is what a Jokić-anchored defense can do for your PR,” another added.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, Curry, and Draymond Green all praised the rookie after Monday’s blowout. Kerr made it clear how much the team already trusts him:

“Basically, in all the critical moments of the game, we just put the ball in his hands. And for a rookie to be that advanced already, it’s extremely rare. But it’s exciting, because I think he’s going to get a lot better, too.”

The Michigan product’s scoring has gone up in each of his first four outings. He scored 12 points in his debut against the Los Angeles Lakers, 18 against the Memphis Grizzlies, and 26 against the Phoenix Suns before continuing his breakout against Denver.

Through four contests, Lendeborg is averaging 21.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game.

The Warriors are 1-3 entering Wednesday’s road clash against the Anthony Edwards-less Minnesota Timberwolves (3-1) at Target Center, the last stop of what has been an up-and-down three-game trip. However, Lendeborg’s status for the matchup is uncertain, as he is listed as questionable due to foot soreness.