Warriors rookie makes shocking statement in preseason

The Warriors had back-to-back exhibition games on Tuesday against the Lakers and Wednesday against the Trail Blazers. Here are our takeaways:In Tuesday’s game against the Lakers, Yaxel Lendeborg was the main story.The Warriors’ 11th pick in the NBA draft looks ready to contribute, which is music to Golden State’s ears considering it will be without Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody for the first few months of the season and Kristaps Porzingis indefinitely. Lendeborg had 17 points in the first half on 7-for-11 shooting from the field, including going 2-for-3 from deep in the Warriors’ 124-98 win over the Lakers.

He also had nine rebounds for his second straight preseason game. The Warriors are going to need the 6-foot-9 Lendeborg to make an immediate impact as a scorer and rebounder.That’s why they drafted the 24-year-old forward.

He appeared NBA ready. So far, he has lived up to those expectations.He led the Warriors to a championship in Las Vegas in summer league play while winning the MVP Award.

And he has delivered in the team’s exhibition games, making a strong case for him to get some big NBA minutes as a rookie. Steph Curry looked good against the Lakers, finishing with 16 points in 14 minutes.Draymond Green looked sharp, finishing with eight assists, three points, two rebounds and one steal in 15 minutes.But what was most impressive is that the Warriors won handily with their star players hardly playing. Four players scored in double figures, including Curry, Lendeborg, Brandin Podziemski and Brandon Williams. The Warriors finished with 44 rebounds, 32 assists and only 10 turnovers. It’s only preseason, so you can’t read too much into any of this.

But if Butler looks good when he returns from his torn ACL in a few months, maybe the Warriors will be better than everyone thinks. Nine players didn’t travel to Portland for the Warriors game against the Trail Blazers on Wednesday, including Curry, Green, Al Horford, Podziemski, De’...