Steph Reminded The Lakers What Warriors Basketball Looks Like, And Yaxel Fit Right In

Golden State put 45 points on the Lakers in the first quarter and 81 by halftime. I know it's preseason, I know LA sat Luka, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler, but goddamn. 😂 Steph Curry played about 14 minutes, scored 16, hit three threes and had five assists. Draymond Green scored three and still dished eight assists. That tells you plenty about what their jobs actually are. But Yaxel Lendeborg was the dude who caught my attention the most. Seventeen points, nine rebounds and two threes, and he didn't spend his time looking like a rookie who's scared to mess something up in front of Steph. He was aggressive, got to his spots, and ran with the pace. Brandin Podziemski had 16 too. Golden State won 124-98, and while beating a half-strength Lakers team isn't the NBA Finals, it was another example of how annoying the Warriors can be when everybody understands where the next pass is supposed to go.

Now if you're looking at FanDuel with me, the lazy move is seeing 124 points and pretending every Warrior scoring over is suddenly free money. Come on, man. The Lakers were missing the dudes who are supposed to actually play these matchups, and Steph's minutes were basically a warm-up. The more interesting thing is Lendeborg's role and how he can help with second-unit creation once Steph sits. Does he keep taking those shots? Is Draymond still finding him in the same spaces when the regular rotation is back? Can Golden State keep the ball moving when the other team is actually defending with its starters? Those are the things I'm saving for later. Curry being Curry isn't breaking news, and 16 in 14 minutes doesn't mean he gets 40 every night. Yaxel looking like he belongs, though, might actually change the depth conversation. I'm not betting on the rookie just because the stat line looked pretty. I'm keeping the name in the notebook.

Steph's the system. Yaxel might be one of the new ways to make it work.6IX / WHAT I'M TAKING AWAY