NBA2026-11-02Yaxel Lendeborg Scores 37 Without Stephen Curry as the Warriors Win Their Fourth Straight: Why the Rookie Is a Must-Roster Fantasy Player
By Verdexed NBA Desk
Golden State rookie Yaxel Lendeborg scored a career-high 37 points on Sunday night, leading a Warriors team without Stephen Curry or Draymond Green to a 124-112 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. Lendeborg made 13 of 19 shots, including six 3-pointers, and added six assists. It was the most points by a Warriors rookie since Curry scored 42 in 2010.
The win was Golden State's fourth straight after an 0-3 start, and it confirmed what the first week and a half of the season had been suggesting: the No. 11 pick in the 2026 draft is not a developmental project. He is producing like a starter, and fantasy managers who have not rostered him are running out of time.
The night in context
Curry sat out for right knee management on the first night of a back-to-back, and Green was out with lower-back management. That left a scoring void, and Lendeborg filled it. Head coach Steve Kerr praised the rookie afterward for how quickly he has adapted to the NBA.
This was not a one-game spike. Lendeborg has scored 26, 26, 31 and 37 in his recent outings, and ESPN has him averaging roughly 22.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists to start the season. Other outlets report slightly different rebound averages, but every version of the numbers points to the same conclusion: he is scoring at a high level and contributing across the box score.
| Category | Sunday vs. LAC |
|---|---|
| Points | 37 |
| Field goals | 13 of 19 |
| 3-pointers | 6 |
| Assists | 6 |
Why the fantasy value holds when Curry returns
The fair question is how much of Lendeborg's production comes from Curry and Green being out. Some of it does: his shot volume on Sunday was inflated by their absence. But the scoring streak started before Sunday, and the profile, a versatile forward who rebounds, passes and makes threes, is exactly what fantasy formats reward.
When Curry plays, expect Lendeborg's usage and scoring to come down a bit. What should remain is the efficiency, the rebounding and the 3-point volume. A rookie who shoots well, rebounds and adds some assists is a top-100 player in nine-category leagues even without 25-point nights. And given the way Golden State has managed Curry's knee and Green's back so far this season, there will be more nights like Sunday.
How the rookie fits next to Curry
The more important long-term question is how Golden State uses Lendeborg when the roster is whole. The Warriors started 0-3, and the turnaround has coincided with the rookie taking on a bigger role. That matters, because coaches rarely shrink the minutes of a rookie who is helping them win.
A forward who can space the floor, rebound and make the extra pass is an easy fit alongside Curry, whose gravity creates open threes for teammates. When both play, Lendeborg's shot attempts should fall, but his looks should get easier. That is a fair trade for fantasy managers in category leagues, where efficiency and 3-pointers matter as much as raw points. In points leagues, the scoring dip will be more noticeable, but the rebounding and assists create a solid floor.
There is also a development curve to consider. Rookies who produce this early typically improve through the season as they learn opponents' tendencies, and Golden State has every incentive to keep feeding him minutes as the veterans manage their workloads over an 82-game schedule.
The Clippers side
The Clippers were also shorthanded. Brandon Ingram is recovering from right heel surgery and is expected to miss at least one more week, and Max Strus is out with a partial plantar fascia tear. Los Angeles allowed 124 points to a Warriors team without its two veteran leaders, and the defensive questions are a concern for anyone backing the Clippers until Ingram returns.
The Verdexed angle
Rookie breakouts are where early-season fantasy leagues are won. The market, both in fantasy trade value and in player props, tends to lag on rookies because preseason expectations anchor perception. Lendeborg is past that point. Any manager still treating him as a bench stash is mispricing him, and anyone who rosters him should not sell low because Curry is back.
For betting purposes, the key variable is Golden State's injury report. Lendeborg's points props will move dramatically depending on whether Curry and Green play. Verdexed's game-level view is on the NBA predictions page, and the daily board is published at /blog under the NBA picks pieces.
What to do in your league
1. Add Lendeborg now if he is somehow available. He is a must-roster player in all formats. 2. Start him every night when Curry or Green is out, and in most weeks even when they play. 3. Do not sell low. If someone offers a starter based only on his preseason expectations, ask for more. 4. Track Golden State's back-to-back management. Curry's and Green's maintenance days are the nights when Lendeborg's ceiling is highest, and those are the spots for DFS and player props.
What's next
The Warriors' run of four straight wins has come with a rookie playing a central role, and the question for the rest of November is whether Golden State's veterans can stay healthy enough for the rotation to settle. For fantasy, that question only affects how high Lendeborg's ceiling goes, not whether he belongs in lineups. He does.