The Warriors drafted Yaxel Lendeborg 11th overall in June. Six games into his career he is the second option next to a 38-year-old Stephen Curry, on a roster with real holes. Whether that pairing is the Warriors’ new core or just what the early schedule forced on them matters because Golden State has tied its next few years to Curry. Spotrac lists a two-year, $115.86 million extension he signed on Sept. 25, 2026, which includes a 2028-29 player option.
Lendeborg’s Start Has Almost No Precedent
The production is real, and it has come next to Curry. In the first win of the season, a 134-114 blowout in Denver, the two combined for 55 points. Lendeborg had 31, 12 rebounds and six assists, and Curry scored 24 without missing a shot.
Two nights later in Minnesota, Curry scored a game-high 44 and Lendeborg added 26. The counting stats are unusual for a rookie: 113 points and 46 rebounds in his first five games, or 9.2 rebounds a night.
The fit with Curry’s timeline matters too. Lendeborg is listed as 24, so he isn’t a teenage project who peaks after Curry retires. He arrived as a polished college player, a consensus first-team All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year on a national-title team. A front office trying to win now could hardly ask for a better age profile from a lottery pick.
Six Games, and an Inflated Role
The case against calling them a duo is mostly about who isn’t playing. With Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody sidelined by injuries and Kristaps Porziņģis out indefinitely because of an undisclosed health-related issue, Lendeborg’s shot volume reflects the Warriors’ needs as much as his own level. He averaged 33.6 minutes through October. When Butler returns, the shots get redistributed and the hierarchy gets reset.
The latest result points the same way. In Friday’s 112-95 comeback win over the Lakers, Lendeborg fouled out with six points and five turnovers. Curry scored 31, and the Golden State bench chipped in with 50 more. The Warriors’ best night of the season came with Lendeborg on the margins.
The rough edges are there too. He committed seven turnovers in Minnesota and five against the Lakers. His jumper is unproven: he shot 2.2 of 6.2 threes a game through October, including 1-of-8 in his 31-point game in Denver.
Curry’s Best Partner, Not Yet a Co-Star
Lendeborg is Curry’s most productive teammate right now, and that’s no small thing for a No. 11 pick. But the “dangerous duo” framing claims more than the evidence supports. A duo means the team’s identity runs through both players, and six games played without Butler, Moody or Porziņģis can’t show that. The Lakers win showed the Warriors can still win when Lendeborg struggles, which describes a talented second option, not an equal.
What would change this is how the roster looks once it’s healthy. If Butler returns and Lendeborg keeps his usage, closes games next to Curry and improves on his outside shot, the duo label is earned. If his touches shrink behind Butler, he becomes something more ordinary: an excellent rookie on a team still built around Curry.
For now, the honest answer is that he looks like a future star, the partnership is promising, and the label is premature.
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