Yaxel Lendeborg is the talk of the NBA after saying he lost all respect for Luka Doncic on Wednesday. He will face the music when the Lakers play the Warriors again in a week.
But Doncic might not be the only player who has extra juice to go up against Lendeborg.
No. 3 overall pick Cameron Boozer might have this matchup circled after Lendeborg's comments about him and the Grizzlies during summer league.
What Lendeborg Said
Lendeborg referenced a loss Michigan had to Duke during last year's regular season when talking about Boozer.
"I think about [revenge] every time I play [Boozer]," Lendeborg said in July. "Every game we play, them refs be saving him. … It is a competitive nature [with] everybody that gets drafted ahead of me."
After the Warriors beat the Grizzlies in the Las Vegas Summer League Championship Game, Lendeborg didn't mince his words.
"Their butts got tight," Lendeborg said. "They puckered up. Some of us are built for the moment and some aren't. ... Our spirit, our will, our desire to not lose is pretty much what helped us out."
You can just about guarantee that every Grizzlies player is aware of what he said and would like to stick it to him. Lendeborg will have to deal with having a big target on his back, as I wrote here.
Why It Should Be a Great Matchup
Even if there wasn't extra motivation to play well from both players, it would a great matchup.
Boozer and Lendeborg finished first and second in BPM last season. They are similarly sized and skilled.
There was never any doubt that Boozer would go ahead of Lendeborg in the draft because Boozer is 19 and Lendeborg is 24. Boozer figures to be the better player because he has more room for development.
But at this moment, one could argue they are evenly matched.
I predicted here they'd finish 1-2 in Rookie of the Year voting. Their preseason stats were as follows:
MPG | PTS | REB | AST | FG% | 3PT% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lendeborg | 23.1 | 15.6 | 7.4 | 4.0 | 56.9 | 43.8 |
Boozer | 20.6 | 14.0 | 5.5 | 3.0 | 47.1 | 33.3 |
They didn't go off in their first regular-season games, but they weren't invisible either. Lendeborg had 12 points, three rebounds and two assists, while Boozer had seven points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
How Boozer Responds Will Set the Rivalry's Tone
Lendeborg has made it clear that he's not afraid to publicly say things that other NBA players wouldn't.
It's not clear if he wants a rivalry with Boozer, though it's probably coming whether they want it or not. But the fastest way for it pick up steam is having Boozer respond.
Will Boozer show more emotion if he scores on Lendeborg? Will he have some pointed postgame comments for Lendeborg?
Boozer has that total professional look that makes me think he won't show that he wants to beat Lendeborg even if he really does.
We'll see how the Grizzlies' starting power forward responds Friday.
Add us as a preferred source on Google