LAS VEGAS — Yaxel Lendeborg ran at Morez Johnson Jr. in transition Thursday night, planted his foot, and tried to lower a shoulder into the chest of his former Michigan teammate. He bounced off like a kid hitting a tree.
“I tried to lay him out a little, tried to big boy him,” Lendeborg said, grinning about the moment during Golden State’s 101-90 Summer League win over Dallas. “It never worked in practice. I don’t know why I tried it here in the game, but it doesn’t hurt to try. They didn’t move him at all. Pretty much ran to a brick wall.”
The moment was a perfect snapshot of what happens when two former college teammates who spent a year beating on each other in practice finally get to do it for real. Lendeborg, the Warriors’ 11th overall pick, and Johnson, a fellow lottery selection, both went through Michigan’s national title run together. Thursday was their first chance to face off as pros. Neither backed down.
Lendeborg put up 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, shooting 8-of-13 from the floor. Johnson answered with a game-high 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting, plus eight boards, three steals and two blocks. Both looked like guys who belong on an NBA floor, even if this is only July.
Lendeborg graded his own night a C. He wasn’t happy with his conditioning, said his handle got loose, and pointed out a few defensive breakdowns. But he had no complaints about Johnson’s performance.
“His motor. He’s relentless,” Lendeborg said. “He doesn’t stop going no matter what. He seems like he never gets tired, and he’s a strong human being. He’s gonna be a monster in a couple of years, maybe this year too.”
Pressure under the Vegas lights
This wasn’t just another Summer League game for Lendeborg. He admitted the stakes felt different from the California Classic a few days earlier. In Sacramento, he said he was excited but not nervous. In Las Vegas, with every team and every scout in the building, the weight landed differently.
“The nerves are real here,” Lendeborg said. “The California Classic, I was nervous but I was more excited. Here it’s like, ‘Oh god, everybody’s here, you really have to prove yourself now.’”
The nerves didn’t show in the box score. Lendeborg looked fluid moving through Golden State’s offense, handled the ball on the break, and used his length to bother Dallas’s forwards on the perimeter. Warriors Summer League coach Khalid Robinson liked what he saw.
“I thought it looked pretty good,” Robinson said. “He helped us out in a number of situations where we needed his ball handling, his ability to get downhill. That was really good to see.”
Robinson pointed out the team needed better weakside awareness, and Lendeborg was his own harshest critic. But for a first game under the Vegas microscope, the rookie passed the test.
Old bonds don’t break
After Lendeborg finished his media scrum, he pulled out his phone and walked over to where Johnson was talking to reporters. He shoved the phone in Johnson’s face and started recording.
“Excuse me, excuse me,” Lendeborg said. “How does it feel to play against Yaxel Lendeborg? I know you guys were teammates last year.”
Johnson played along, pretending he didn’t know the name.
“Who’s that?” Johnson asked.
“Yaxel Lendeborg,” Lendeborg repeated.
“Ohhh, okay,” Johnson said, breaking into a grin. “It was great, man, out there competing. Came up short, losing isn’t normally my thing, but it is what it is. They gotta come to Dallas.”
Lendeborg beamed, threw his arms up and jogged off like he’d just won a fight montage. Old habits die hard. Old bonds die even harder. Both were on full display in Vegas.
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