At UAB, Yaxel Lendeborg took about one 3-pointer a game. On Sunday night in San Francisco, the Golden State rookie made six of them, four off the dribble, on his way to a career-high 37 points.
The 6-foot-10 forward shot 13 of 19 overall and handed out six assists as the Warriors, playing without the rested Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, beat the LA Clippers 124-112 for a fourth consecutive victory. ESPN reported that Curry spent part of a third-quarter shooting burst celebrating wildly from the bench.
"We knew he was a good shooter," coach Steve Kerr said, according to ESPN. "When he came into work out for us [in June], you could see the skill. But I didn't expect what I saw tonight."
Building the shot
The jumper is newer than it looks. Lendeborg spent three seasons in junior college and two at UAB before transferring to Michigan, where he averaged 15.1 points on last season's national championship team.
ESPN reported that then-assistant Mike Boynton pushed him to shoot more from deep because the Wolverines planned to deploy him as a small forward, and he hit 37% on 4.5 attempts a game there.
Seven games into his pro career, he is shooting without hesitation. He told ESPN that, a year ago, three straight misses would have shut him down for the night, and pointed to a recent game in Denver in which he started 0 for 5 from deep and kept firing.
"One thing I'm proud of myself is my 3-point shot diet," he said.
His scoring nights so far include 26, 26, 31 and now 37, and ESPN has him averaging 22.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists.
Chasing 40
The one stretch Lendeborg did not enjoy came near the end. With Golden State comfortably ahead, he said, teammates De'Anthony Melton and Will Richard told him he was three points from 40.