Warriors' Yaxel Lendeborg Says Draymond Green Was 'Encouraging' Trash Talk vs. Luka Doncic, Lakers

Golden State Warriors forward Yaxel Lendeborg made waves with his comments about Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Luka Dončić last month, and the rookie revealed this week that his actions may have been egged on by a teammate.

In an interview with Nick Friedell of The Athletic, Lendeborg suggested that veteran teammate Draymond Green was the one who inspired him to speak his mind.

"He was encouraging that," Lendeborg said. "Draymond likes all that, because there was no reason for me to back down to anybody. We're both in the same league. Regardless of what [Dončić has] done, he hasn't done it to me. So [Draymond] was basically going off, if he hasn't proven it to you, then why should you be backing down and scared of him?

"I don't care what you did, if you scored 70 points on [someone else]—you didn't score 70 on me. So that's the kind of the mindset he told me to get into. And he's such a huge competitor as well, so having him in my back as well, leaning on me towards that situation was great for me."

Following the Warriors' 127-105, season-opening loss to the Lakers, Lendeborg didn't mince words regarding his feelings about Dončić.

Warriors-Lakers Highlights

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At the time, Lendeborg told reporters, "I had a lot of respect for him [because] I didn't really watch the NBA much. I just watched highlights and seen him kill people. But being in it firsthand and seeing all the whining and complaining, I lost all respect."

Dončić had a game-high 28 points in the Lakers' victory, while Lendeborg finished with 12 points in his NBA debut.

That marked the first of three losses to open the season for the Warriors, but they have since bounced back in a big way with eight straight victories, including one over the Lakers.

Lendeborg has been a huge part of Golden State's early-season success as well, ranking second on the team with 21.4 points per game.

With his play speaking for itself and Green endorsing his attitude, Lendeborg is trending toward becoming a legitimate star for a Warriors team that is looking like a potential Western Conference contender.