Yaxel Lendeborg Dominates Rookie Ladder in Golden State

Yaxel Lendeborg hasn’t just landed in Golden State. He’s detonated there.

Three weeks into the season, the rookie is spotless on the Kia Rookie Ladder and the Warriors are suddenly rolling, winners of eight straight after a 0-3 start. A contender found a cornerstone, and a 20-year-old found the perfect proving ground with Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler and Steve Kerr.

That kind of symmetry almost never happens in the NBA.

Lendeborg grabs the top rung

From the moment camp opened, Kerr treated Yaxel Lendeborg as a piece, not a project. The numbers now back up that instinct in bold print: 21.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game on 52.3% from the field and 44.3% from deep. He scores, he shoots, he cleans the glass, he moves the ball, he defends.

Just six players in the league are averaging at least 20 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Five of them are Luka Dončić, Alperen Sengun, Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Scottie Barnes.

The sixth is a rookie in blue and gold.

His “game of the week” – 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a steal in a win over New Orleans – was less an outlier than a snapshot of his all-court influence. The Warriors, who looked disjointed and unsure through those opening three losses, suddenly resemble a team that knows exactly what it is.

“I would probably say we’re way more connected than we were before,” Lendeborg said after that victory over the Pelicans. He talked about trust, about teammates finally settling into roles around the long-established Curry–Green axis. “Once everybody else kind of fell in line and we all realized what we’re here for, I felt like we started playing a lot more connected, team basketball with more energy in a way.”

The winning streak says he’s right. They can push it to nine against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.

Last week, Lendeborg sat at No. 2 on the Rookie Ladder. Now he’s on top, just as decisively as he’s seized a starting role for the Warriors. Drafted 11th, already playing like he slipped too far.

Acuff chases history in Sacramento

The man he leapfrogged, Darius Acuff Jr., hasn’t exactly slowed down.

Sacramento’s young guard is pouring in 26.2 points per game, handing out 7.3 assists and grabbing 3.8 rebounds. The percentages aren’t pristine (41.8% from the field, 33.0% from three), but the responsibility is enormous: he leads all rookies in points, assists and minutes.

His week featured a 32-point, 10-assist, five-rebound night in a loss to Miami, another entry in a record book he’s already started to rewrite. Acuff is just the second player in NBA history to have multiple games of 30-plus points and 10-plus assists before turning 20. The other is LeBron James.

His 259 points through his first 10 games are the most by any rookie since Michael Jordan’s 273 in 1984. That’s the company he’s keeping.

The Rookie Ladder nudges him up one spot, from No. 3 to No. 2. Drafted seventh, playing like a franchise’s offensive engine.

Boozer bruises, then slides

Cameron Boozer opened the year on top of the rankings. He drops to No. 3 this week, but the broader story in Memphis remains encouraging.

The Duke product is averaging 16.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists. The shot hasn’t fully arrived yet (36.4% from the field, 29.0% from three), yet he still stamped his week with 22 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in a win over Toronto.

His rebounding has been historic. Boozer sits seventh in the entire league in defensive boards per game (8.0) and became the first player since the NBA began tracking defensive rebounds in 1976-77 to grab at least 10 defensive rebounds in each of his first three career games.

The physicality and feel that made him “NBA-ready” at Duke have translated. The shooting will follow. Memphis already knows it has a foundational piece.

Peterson heats up in Utah

Utah’s Darryn Peterson is climbing fast.

The Jazz guard jumps from No. 6 to No. 4 on the Ladder, riding a three-game streak of 20-plus points. Over that run, he’s shooting 51.9% from the field and 45.8% from three, while piling up 13 assists, 12 rebounds, four steals and three blocks.

On the season, Peterson sits at 15.7 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals per game, with tidy splits of 41.1% from the field, 37.7% from deep and 86.7% at the line. His standout outing this week: 26 points, six rebounds and four assists in a loss to Minnesota.

Utah drafted him second overall to be a perimeter pillar. Three weeks in, he looks the part.

Dybantsa powers through in Washington

AJ Dybantsa stays put at No. 5, but that doesn’t mean he’s standing still.

The No. 1 pick missed the first week with a sprained ankle and is still playing catch-up in minutes and games, yet he’s already at 16.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals per night. He’s shooting 43.3% from the field and 77.1% from the line, with room to grow from three (27.3%).

His “game of the week” – 21 points, eight rebounds and two blocks in a loss to Detroit – showcased what Washington envisioned: a wing who attacks the rim with both force and touch, and who lives at the stripe. He’s averaging 5.0 free throw attempts per game, a promising early sign for a primary scorer.

The Wizards are rebuilding. Dybantsa is already giving them a focal point.

Wilson’s lesson in Chicago

Caleb Wilson slides from No. 4 to No. 6, but his start in Chicago still commands respect.

He’s at 19.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.9 steals per game, shooting 40.6% from the field and 30.4% from three. Earlier, he ripped off three straight games of 20-plus points while shooting well from deep, hinting at a scoring package that will only sharpen.

His featured outing this week: 18 points, five rebounds and two steals in a loss to Philadelphia. Then came the grind. Facing top-tier defenders night after night has underscored how hard it is for rookies to score with both volume and efficiency.

The Bulls took him fourth overall knowing there would be bumps. The production suggests the ceiling is worth the ride.

Mara’s impact by the minute

Aday Mara remains at No. 7, but his true value in Oklahoma City lies beneath the surface of traditional box scores.

On paper, he’s averaging 8.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.4 assists, shooting 61.5% from the field. His “game of the week” – 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three blocks in a win over Washington – hinted at something more.

Stretch those numbers to per-36 minutes and the picture sharpens: 14.7 points, 11.1 rebounds, 3.2 blocks and 2.4 assists. For a Thunder team already rich in young talent, Mara is quietly anchoring lineups with size, timing and touch.

The counting stats will grow as the minutes do. The efficiency is already there.

Brown breaks through in Brooklyn

Brooklyn’s Mikel Brown Jr. crashes the Ladder at No. 8 after his best stretch of the season.

The Nets guard is averaging 12.9 points, 3.9 assists and 2.1 rebounds, shooting 34.6% from the field, 31.1% from three and 80.0% at the line. Over his last two games, though, he’s averaged 18 points on 45.8% shooting, finally finding rhythm.

His standout performance: 18 points, four assists, one block and one steal in just 20 minutes in a win over Charlotte. It was the kind of burst that hints at a sixth-man scorer or more if the playmaking keeps trending upward.

Drafted sixth, he now has a foothold in a crowded rookie race.

Kingston steadies Atlanta’s backcourt

Kingston Flemings dips one spot to No. 9, but Atlanta’s recent form owes plenty to him.

The Hawks have started him in four straight games, gone 3-1 in that stretch, and watched his minutes climb. He’s rewarded that trust with 8.5 points, 4.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds per game on sharp shooting: 52.1% from the field, 42.9% from three and 72.7% at the line.

His “game of the week” – 14 points, four assists and three rebounds in a win over Washington – captured his growing influence as a playmaker who can punish defenses when they sag off.

Atlanta drafted him eighth overall. The early returns suggest they’ve found a guard who can organize, not just score.

Thomas rains threes in Cleveland

Rounding out the top 10 is Meleek Thomas in Cleveland, holding his No. 10 spot as one of the purest shooters in this rookie class.

Thomas is averaging 13 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, and the shooting splits are electric: 47.0% from the field, 47.8% from three and a perfect 100% at the line. Over his last three games, he’s 9-for-18 from deep.

His key performance this week came in a loss to Charlotte: 18 points on 4-for-6 from three. For a Cavaliers team that craves spacing around its stars, Thomas, drafted 34th, is already delivering specialist value with the potential to grow into more.

Rookies knocking on the door

Outside the top 10, a wave of first-year players is pushing for attention with big nights of their own.

• Keaton Wagler had 15 points and four assists in 18 minutes for the LA Clippers in a win over New Orleans.
• Bennett Stirtz dropped 16 points, including 4-for-7 from three, with two steals for Oklahoma City in a win over Cleveland.
• Indiana’s Braden Smith filled the box score with 10 points, five assists, two steals and two blocks in a win over Memphis.
• In Milwaukee, Brayden Burries went for 21 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in a loss to Toronto, while Nate Ament added 12 points and five rebounds in a defeat to Boston.
• Charlotte’s Hannes Steinbach pulled down 11 rebounds and swatted three shots in a loss to Boston, and Dallas big man Morez Johnson Jr. hammered home 13 points and 17 rebounds in a win over Utah.
• Denver’s Bryce Hopkins chipped in 18 points, four rebounds and two steals in a win over Toronto.
• Chicago’s Jaylin Sellers hit 4-of-7 from three on his way to 14 points in a loss to New York.
• LA’s Baba Miller stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks in that same Clippers win over New Orleans.
• Atlanta’s Zuby Ejiofor added 10 points, five rebounds and five assists in just 15 minutes in a win against Washington.

The Rookie Ladder will keep shifting every week, driven by production, recent form and availability. For now, it belongs to Yaxel Lendeborg, the 11th pick who has stepped into a championship locker room and played like he’s been there for years.

If this is how the rookie class looks in November, what will it be by spring?