The Golden State Warriors selected Yaxel Lendeborg with the No. 11 pick in the draft hoping that the 23-year-old rookie with an NCAA title from Michigan is ready to contribute right away.
He looked the part Sunday night while leading the Warriors to a 94-90 win over the Grizzles in the NBA Summer League championship game in Las Vegas that featured a high-profile matchup against against Memphis rookie Cameron Boozer.
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The game was tied at 47-47 at halftime. Boozer exploded for 10 of his 19 points in the third quarter, including a 3 in the final seconds to extend a Grizzlies lead to 76-66.
But the fourth quarter belonged to Lendeborg, who scored seven straight Warriors points late in the stanza, including a pull-up 3 from the wing to give the Warriors an 89-87 lead.
Lendeborg vs. Boozer
Lendeborg finished the game with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 3 turnovers while shooting 9 of 18 from the field and 2 of 6 from 3. It added up to a standout effort from Lendeborg, who entered Sunday averaging 13.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.4 steals and 2 turnovers in five Summer League games.
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The Warriors are hoping his effort translates to a productive role immediately in his rookie season.
Boozer countered with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 4 turnovers while shooting 7 of 17 from the field and 3 of 7 from 3. He had two late chances to give the Grizzlies the lead, but came up short at the rim against Lendeborg’s defense and then missed an open 3 with 13 seconds remaining.
But the loss won’t diminish what’s largely been a standout Summer League for Boozer, who joined the Grizzlies via the No. 3 pick in the draft out of Duke touted as a plug-and-play NBA starter with All-NBA upside.
Boozer largely reinforced those projections as much as one can in Summer League with averages of 18.4 points, 8 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.8 steals 46.3% from field, 29.4% from 3 in five previous Summer League games. Despite Sunday’s loss, it adds up to an effort that should have Grizzlies fans excited about roster rebuild after turning the page on Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr.
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The Grizzlies also got a strong effort from second-year standout Cedric Coward, who projects to play a starring role alongside Boozer in Memphis. Coward finished with 19 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block and 1 turnover while hitting all 5 of his 3-point attempts.
Second-year guard LJ Cryer added 15 points and 6 assists for Golden State while shooting 4 of 8 from 3. Deivon Smith matched Lendeborg with 21 points alongside 9 rebounds off the Golden State bench.