Yaxel Lendeborg asking T-Mac, Vince, and Melo for advice on his game: “Do you guys have any advice like, just for me in general just to try to keep going, things I got to work on, anything that you guys see that I don’t see?”
He pulled the job interview finishing move
Never seen a guy turn an interview around like this. Definitely a huge positive sign about his demeanour and love for the game.
He also asked the right guys: T-Mac, Vince, and Melo. You gotta take that chance when they are all ready in front of you to be talked to. He is not gonna waste any minutes in his late-start career. You can compare all their advice on spot and absorb them immediately. He is ready.
Tbf unless it’s scoring i don’t want him taking no advice from Melo 😭
First you jab step, then you pump fake, then just keep jabbing and pumping until you hit the contested middy. It’s that easy - Melo
That’s what makes it hip hop
and dont you even think about passing that mf
Then when your opponent has the ball, you can use this time to rest.
I just laughed out loud and woke up my wife.
Melo: So the key here again is spacing. I need you in the corner, and if your man so much as looks my way, then I’m going to get it to you. Then i go for three? (Yes.) But ‘tis merely a pump fake! (No!) I pull the ball down! I step over the line. (No!) I back down the big for a contested fadeaway two from the elbow!
Pain
Too good! Too accurate!
Win, lose, just have fun doing it.
That’s how i developed my 1v1 game and got really good at it. You base your next move based on how they react to your jab. Every reaction has a counter.
Obviously sucks the joy out of your teammates in a 5v5 game tho loll
But you gotta practice that outdoors at night wearing a hoodie.
I mean Melo gave him good advice about studying film, which would be a big thing for a rookie to already be doing
This sub hates melo. You’re talking to the void
tf did Vince or TMac accomplish that Melo didn’t lol? the Melo hate is getting a little weird now
It’s been weird for a long time.
It’s been this since the George Karl relationship went sideways. He’s heavily connected in the media so they slander Melo nonstop in Karl’s name. They did the same thing to Dwight Howard when he beefed with Van Gundy and got him fired. Van Gundy brothers and their media cronies went scorched earth on Dwight’s legacy.
It’s been weird. Him and Lin got together for a podcast and Lin holds nothing against him and thanked him while saying he’s tired of people using him as a vehicle for Melo hate and the comments were ignoring the man! Shit is crazy
Right?!? Also like is Melo not the best player on this panel. Why is he signaling out Melo and not T-Mac or Vince
I never said they accomplished more, however they didn’t stat pad or sulk when they played poor but got the win
Melo gave great advice though
And yet Melo gave him the best advice.
Facts
The Melo disrespect is craaaaaaaaaazy.
He is one of the most lethal bucket getters at the forward position in league history.
Anytime the Cavs played him back in the mid to late 2000’s he put the fear of god in me.
This doesn’t matter if you’re doing this at expense of a win. Which he was.
Melos style of ball was not winning basketball. Period.
Melo had more playoff success than T-Mac or Vince.
Also won an NCAA championship and 3 Olympic golds, which is more than those other guys.
Unless we’re talking about Melo’s experience in the Olympics.
oh fuck off
Typical cringe reddit take about Melo
Just do the opposite he tells you lmao
i don’t want him taking no advice from Melo
You don’t want him taking advice from one of the best to ever touch a basketball? Are you out of your mind?? The only thing you should fear is if he does NOT want to learn.
Ayyy P, they said I gotta watch film
Melo provided way more to the game than just scoring. His basketball IQ is through the roof. To say anything otherwise is criminal and means you never watched him play.
If it’s pure scoring, you definitely want to listen to him lol Every other part of the game however…
this take is so dumb lmao Even if he wasn’t elite at other aspects of basketball doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand them, anyway?
Well he asked two of the right guys and also Melo.
People acting like TMac or Vince were more successful or winning players than Melo is wild
T-Mac never even won a series and this place treats Melo like a basketball terrorist
Melo accomplished more than Tmac?
Melo went further in the playoffs than either of those other guys as his team’s star.
And he had more success in college and international play, too.
Significantly more points scored than either of those other guys. More All-Star games.
I’m not sure why you would single out Melo like this.
This dude is marketable as hell. If he can keep up this level of play he’ll be a legit star very soon.
He asked the guys who have won nothing
Melo who never accomplished anything because he was such an incredibly selfish player? Yeah definetly want advice from him lol
You’re dumb dumb if you think Melo has nothing that an NBA rookie could learn from
He has nothing t-mac wouldn’t give better advice about.
Yeah who would want advice from a multiple time all star, all NBA player who was one of the most popular stars in the league? Is he dumb?
I wouldnt take career advice from a guy who never made it to where he wanted to go lol
Lol….3 of the most selfish and lovers when it mattered. The are all tin men…. zero heart.
The advice should be to be a better team player than any one of those guys.
Bro, the humbleness required to ask such a question and just absorb the answers without interrupting, despite everyone saying the same thing - that’s something that can lead to greatness! Reminds me a lot of Giannis as a rookie
Feels like it was tough to come up with an answer on the spot about what to improve about his game and maybe they didn’t want to insult him or anything so they all said study film and ask questions lol. But it was encouraging that Yaxel was willing to ask those guys for their advice. Hopefully he listens and takes it to heart because someone like Draymond is always studying film and tendencies and could teach Yaxel a lot.
He also created the conditions for one or more of them to reach out privately in the future, which is just as valuable if not more.
I honestly think that was the best advice they could give. Good stuff.
I agree, they didn’t really answer his question lol but I can’t blame them. I like that he wants to learn as much as possible from whoever he gets the chance to talk to
Yeahs draymond is definitely a great defender and student of the game as well as goat in nut grabbing and kneeing
Fuckin weird this sub suddenly calls him humble when just 2 weeks ago, he was calling out the players for not boxing out and how it’s easy to get rebounds
He’s currently tied for like 12th in rebounds with Anthony Davis, Chet Holmgreen, and Evan Mobley. It’s a long season, but he might be right. Lol
he was calling out the players for not boxing out and how it’s easy to get rebounds
saying that doesn’t make him not humble, i don’t think a statement like that has anything to do with humility.
Nothing he said was wrong. The paint is way more spaced out in the pros than in college which makes rebounding easier. And yeah a ton of dudes at this level don’t prioritize rebounding so if you’re willing to get in there and work for it it’s going to seem easier than in college where most players are grinding.
Bots are weird as fuck, yeah
The host actually initiated it
Ahmed Fareed, that dude’s a pro
You’ll go in, he’ll be up there, you’re down here. Right? He’s on top, he’s asking you the questions. Then all of a sudden the interview starts, he asks you some questions, you answer some questions … then you start asking him the questions, and you flip it. Now he’s trying to impress you…. topsy-turvy that motherfucker
agreed bro. and the full length one is even better cuz the guys talk about it for a minute https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBh628zqSiE
He should ask Luka for advice
/s
He should ask Luka to show him his championship ring.
Luka gonna show him his Euroleague championship when he was 19
I’ll take shit no one cares about for $800, Alex.
It’s a shame that older rookies are not valued as much in this day and age.
Coming into the league with a mature mindset is huge.
There’s some solid guys who have come into the league older as well.
Mikal Bridges red shirted his freshman year at college and spent four years before entering the draft. He improved every year at Villanova and came into the league pretty mature and wanting to play winning basketball.
Terrance Shannon Jr stepped into the league and played impactful minutes in the play offs his rookie year. This year looks polished in his game as a two way player so far with the TWolves.
Someone said Jaime Jaquez as well, who has a really well rounded game too.
Yaxel looking ready so far and impactful immediately.
Derrick White was a 23 years old rookie too!
Payton Pritchard was a 23 year old rookie as well
I never realized Pritchard was that old, thought he was 21.
David Robinson rookie at 24.
Special case there though - had to serve 2 years in the Navy after getting drafted 1.01 in 1987.
Could you imagine a #1 overall pick having to defer for 2 years to serve in the Navy nowadays? Sounds insane.
Back in the day plenty of great players were four year college players. One of the best power forwards ever, Tim Duncan, was a four year college player.
Dame went four years, Draymond, Steve Nash.
Hell, it was 3 years and not four but that Micheal Jordan guy did 3 years at college.
I agree, though Dame only spent three years at Weber State.
No he definitely played 4 years at Weber. Hurt during his junior year and only played 10 games but still.
Hell, Im amazed you left off Curry. He played 3 as well.
GMs were not that smart back then for the most part. Today all of those guys would be drafted into the league as freshmen and sophomores. You want to get kids in your organization as soon as possible.
Can’t believe you mentionned ‘Nova and didn’t mention Brunson. Dude fell in the draft because of his age, the Mavs even chose to let him leave in FA and he still turned into one of the best PGs in the league and just led the Knicks to a title.
I didn’t realize how good Brunson was until that Warriors 2022 championship run where he was Luka’s running mate in the Mavs series. He was the only guy besides Luka reliably creating offense.
I thought they were crazy for letting him walk.
They were. Then again, they later showed they have no idea how to construct a winning basketball team.
Nico special
Yeah but my point is that because of the age factor it’s seems as a negative in terms of draft stock
I agree with the principle of not looking past an older draft candidate because of their age.
But if the choice is out of two players at a similar level of skill or with similar stats to expect a 19 year old freshman would have a higher chilling and draft them over a 24 year old for example.
I mean it’s a double edged sword. For every Yax there’s a Chris Duarte. For every Cam Boozer there’s a James Wiseman. It’s just a crapshoot like everything else. Draft is there to poke holes in everything, ultimately it’s about evaluation.
Yaxel definitely got knocked for his age. If he was even just 21 he probably doesn’t talk to GS, but his path was so… unconventional even for an NBA player. He had to grow up much faster compared to all his peers, even guys like Boozer and Wilson who by all indications are mature for their age.
Problem is teams don’t do that. They pick younger players with less tape, less reps and more ‘potential upside’ or players who will be easier to manage in contract negotiations.
My Knicks taking Pacome Dadiet over Shannon Jr, still baffles me.
Some guys peak early. There akways was the kid who dominated as a 13 year old, and by 16 was just an average player.
I think the major issue is with teams going “this guy would be a top 5 pick if he was two years younger.” If you think he has top 5 talent, take him top 5. That’s the thing that didn’t make sense with Yaxel. Everyone was like “if he was younger he’d be a top 5-6 pick.” Ok then, what are we doing here?
It is but it just depends what position the team is in. Makes total sense for the Warriors to try to get a guy who’s ready to go on day one. Just like the Sixers did when they drafted Mikal cries
A lot of players dont even last enough in the league for that to matter tbh
Jaime Jaquez was a great example of a guy who slid because he was an “older prospect”
Steph, Draymond… lol
Malcolm brodgan too
Wasn’t Dennis Rodman like 25 his rookie year?
Leaving Brunson off this list as a Knicks fan feels heretical.
Terrace Shannon was 19 in his first NBA season.
TSJ was 23 on draft night after a 5 year college career. Idk who you talking about
that’s going to change a lot moving forward because of NIL
Maybe not at the top top end, but there will be a lot more 4 year guys taken in the 6-15 range because more guys will stay to make more money in college leading to older draft classes in general.
And also if the CBA forces teams to move players that would’ve been in the rotation, having more plug and play rookies that are older players on cost controlled deals for four years will be an advantage for teams.
I’m seeing rookies crack the rotation more and more every year.
Cam Johnson was looked at this way when he was drafted. He proceeded to be a steal and get a $100mil contract unlike 90+% of his class. The top 3-5 depending on the year are supposed to be pretty safe sure things. Finding a good player past that is a crap shoot
Same as jalen brunson
Yup and Steph. I made a comment a couple days ago that many of the top players lately who won it all have almost all been drafted a little later.
There’s something to college basketball giving players the necessary reps to really internalize winning basketball
for sure, Yaxel and Brazile on the Nuggets doing their part to change that rep
I’d throw Jaquez into the mix too!
As a serviceable back up if on a competing team. Too inconsistent
Ayo Dosunmu
That’s funny because the biggest criticism of Yaxel going into the draft has been his immaturity.
Think the new CBA is making older, pro-ready rookies more valuable. You’ve gotta find contributors on cheap contracts if you have stars to pay.
That’s what’s made Presti such a good GM. Before the Williams injury, they were set to just reload the roster with older or NBA-ready prospects to fill out their rotation.
To me, that’s the biggest thing. Yaxel is 24. Same age as Kuminga. Yet Kuminga has been a nightmare to deal with his contracts. Yaxel will be 28 before he gets paid.
This was a mature moment. I would absolutely not consider Yaxel “Mature” tho…
Elaborate.
Being a high-profile athlete in today’s day and age requires a high level of self awareness and levelheadedness, I’m not surprised that coming into the league older is more relevant now than ever
The problem is none are as good as him. Like the list of 24 year old rookies was horrible. You can value it, but when bobs turned out well, it doesn’t matter.
Now if you include 22 year old rookies? There’s some awesome ones.
If anything with how the CBA is now by the time a 19 year old develops they’re gonna be ready to cash in on their second deal whereas an older more developed player can contribute for cheap immediately
B
I mean it doesn’t always pan out. I thought Dalton Knecht would be a real rotation piece for the Lakers. Granted the nixed trade, but his game just fell off a cliff.
NBA front office got lazy and just made a blanket assumption of older = bad, without looking into the reasons behind each player.
Yaxel was bagging groceries 6 years ago before getting sent to Arizona to play college/JUCO ball. He is old not because he lacked talent. He is old because he took longer to learn everything. The talent was there and Dusty May really helped him figure out the developmental piece.
well i think they arent valued because until recently it wasnt all that common to come from a university and be this age. the whole NIL saga has made players want to stay in college as long as possible, as opposed to in the past where the really top players wanted to go to the NBA early instead.
so I think people are just getting used to it, hence the jokes about him being so old for a rookie. Instead of praising him for being basically ready to hit the ground running, compared to younger rookies.
most of it is just banter though, nothing wrong with that. some people take everything too seriously though
cries in dalton knecht
Also, being in your prime on a rookie contract. Amazing value for the team. Unless you’re getting one of the absolute top can’t miss prospects, nobody should be taking a chance on underclassmen that they won’t even be able to afford to keep by the time they’re valuable.
Older doesn’t mean mature, I like many others are great examples of that.
Take a look at all of the guys who were 23+ and got drafted in the first round. The track record is bad. They look good at first, and then they start to suck.
Guys who come in later know how to play winning basketball rather than simply developing individual basketball skills.
“Mature mindset” yeahhhhh no
Tough sell when Yaxel is 28 yrs old, or 32 can’t remember /s
because most draft picks only last about 5 seasons on average. in theory some of the mature picks have already wasted half their career in college and picked up habits. the risk/reward just isn’t worth it when younger guys are just pure potential with longevity.
Wow, crazy that there are two players in the league named something as obscure as Yaxel Lendeborg. Glad to hear about this one with the mature mindset.
The other one was talking trash to Luka Doncic (of all people) in his very first game and then kept complaining to the press after it resulted in a decisive L.
To play devil’s advocate, so was Malcolm brogdon .. that story didn’t end the greatest for Mr President
Butler he can ask too. Ya’ll best hope he doesn’t pick up the foul grifting from him too lmao
Butler foul grifting isn’t that in your favour though?
Let it be known in the first couple games, Jimmy getting to the line made Warriors fans think “Oh My God is this what getting free throws feels like?!”
Jimmy is gonna be a GREAT mentor for Yaxel in terms of his game (as long as he doesn’t also pick up the temper tantrums)
Jimmy on the court is fine, off the court and practice sessions is where things might get heated and 3rd stringers get involved.
I mean Jimmy with third-stringers aint beating steph, Yaxel, and Podz together
Don’t forget Rachel Nichols
Off the court Jimmy is pretty good too. Most players like Jimmy and seem to get along really well with him. It’s when it’s a contract year that Jimmy becomes insufferable. He seemingly is okay with burning every bridge to get as big a contract as possible.
Too late, he already literally said he’s doing that lol
Good thing jimmy has no interest in mentoring young players
Good thing Yaxel isn’t a young player.
Bro I was laughing at all three hosts forgetting Jimmy exists.
He already has a free throw rate most stars would kill for.
with his size, they’ll be hacking him at the basket anyways. just like last night.
Can we please stop making up new phrases for drawing contact? It’s part of the game.
“How do I fake an injury an throw all my teammates under the bus when things aren’t going well”
Am i supposed to like this guy ? Cause I am starting to
I don’t know why everybody hates on him because he declared late for the draft.
Dude was addicted to video games and played 12 hours a day which screwed up his high school and college education. He is basically every Redditor except he snapped out of it and became successful.
and also he listened to his parents. he was working at a warehouse after high school and his mom encouraged him to go to a basketball showcase. he went and a scout saw him and offered him their LAST available scholarship.
involved parents make the difference but you also have to take your parents’ feedback.
Not every redditor is 6’7 with parents that also played basketball at a high level.
6’9”
Now they’re saying he’s 6’11
Nice
Just most of us.
But video games help train reflexes and decision making under stress. – Redditors in parents basements
never believed this because everyone on my team with 10x more hours than me plays like they have no thumbs and dialup connection
Ah so him and Luka basically just brought the online gaming lobby trash talk on the court. Lol
They’ll be in duo queue together before anyone realizes
So thats where the shit talking skills came from lol
Now I have to know what video games he was playing
Excerpt from his short essay -
“Mom somehow got me into this basketball camp near New York for Dominican kids. (Completely behind my back!) She drags me out to the minivan, and we hit the road. Then we get there, I play in the camp, and when it ends, they make this announcement, the list of “top performers,” and they call my name. I’m like: Oh, cool. That’s great! Let’s get back home so I can get up on some Call of Duty. But mom … she’s not having it. She’s over on the bleachers meeting with these JUCO coaches, these NAIA dudes, anyone who was willing to talk to her, basically.”
I don’t hate him but I feel like the glaze is a lot. He’s played like 4 games? Maybe get through a season or two of great play before he gets crowned. This vacillation between the worst ever and the greatest ever is kinda tiring.
He’s been getting trashed since he was drafted and comped to Duarte ffs. Now that he’s showing he can play a bit, people who supported him and enjoy his personality get to talk their shit. The whole Luka thing is hilarious for a rookie, whatever age, and as a UM fan, all the OG Fab 5 dudes were like this. Shit is fun. Maybe it’s a Linsanity run, maybe he gets figured out in a few weeks. Im just enjoying the ride.
People don’t watch the games, they only react to clips like this
Adam Silver wasnt lying when he said it’s a highlights league
As Adam Silver intended it
Nothing wrong with celebrating a guy putting up 31, 12 & 6 in a winning performance vs the Jokers crew in his 4th game in the nba.
Damn… could’ve been us.
That’s actually super interesting. Now I gotta go down the rabbit hole with this guy
He wrote this toward the end of last season, locked him as one of my favorite Wolverines all-time
People don’t like him because he has a crazy ego and talks a lot of shit.
Asking how he can improve is the opposite of a crazy ego. He just likes to talk smack and be competitive, which for some reason people on reddit have never played a sport competitively and understand that.
You’re contradicting yourself talking trash is egoistical. Literally google his quotes about Cam Boozer in the draft and the shit he was saying at Michigan when they were on their title run. This was a big story about him during the draft process was that he runs his mouth too much.
Also talking trash is inherently unlikable. Especially, when you are a 6th year 24 year old “college” student talking trash to 18-19 year olds it rubs you the wrong way.
He’s so fucking awesome. Anyone hating on him jus exposes themselves as weirdos
100%. This dude is awesome.
The people hating on him are of the same ilk that hated on Barkley when he came into the league and he spoke completely unfiltered, raw, a bit immature at times, but always honestly and intelligently. Fucking pearl clutchers. And I bet they’re the same people that bitch about the league being soft.
Didn’t Barkley spit on a kid? There were plenty of reasons to hate him lol
Chuck literally defenestrated a man and that’s not a word you get to use often outside of Chuck
Yea but he spit on them raw, honestly and intelligently so it’s ok.
That’s a championship move right there
He never claimed to be a role model
I could go back further and use Muhammad Ali as an example. Same thing. Same people hated his brashness. I think you get my point though.
And some kids need to be spit on. I bet their parents do too.
He kinda gave that impression on me on their game against the lakers, my team lol, about trash talking Luka. I mean he’s a rookie, Luka will not take lightly to trash talk and will respond in kind so on that control it a bit. But after this past few games he had and impressive numbers and this, Q&A on the greats, willing to listen, dude is on the right path.
They hate on him cause he spoke on r/NBA’s darling Luka.
I honestly don’t know how you can be on this sub and think Luka Doncic is beloved here. It’s been mostly negative for well over a year now. Yaxel got a ton of support on here for absolutely trashing Luka to reporters after Yaxel’s first ever nba game.
I hated the Luka stuff after the game from a 2 game rookie but I love everything else. He could have said it about any other top player in the league and it would’ve rubbed me the wrong way the exact same. Just respect those above you/came before you etc. say this to your boys behind closed doors, not to the media after you’ve played like 50 minutes in your career. Talk this shit about another rookie publicly, sure. Yaxels a fucking dog though and I love the mentality, game, motor everything.
The people complaining about him talking about Luka whining for calls are the same people that complain about LeBron whining for calls all the time
What? It’s okay not to like somebody. The man ain’t Jesus
Petulant parasocialism
Warriors fan (including me) aren’t yet sure he isn’t.
And it’s okay for me to think you’re a weirdo for not appreciating someone awesome
“If you don’t see things exactly as I do you are inferior”
Bunch of Laker fans and Lukastans got all butt hurt about Yaxel pointing out the fact that Luka is a whiny little bitch, and it’s very unbecoming.
The weird thing is that outside of the immediate aftermath of the game, a lot of laker fans actually like this dude. He got Luka fired up the first game of the season which we all like to see and he backed up his talk with action. If you look in the lakers sub now any mention of yaxel is usually positive
If anything yaxel haters are the contrarian trolls who don’t support any team, but latch on to any bit of off court drama, and try to play out that drama far past its natural conclusion. Those still talking shit about him now are mostly team less trolls
Yaxel has zero filter. He said things about Luka, but he makes fun of Draymond all the time. He has zero public speaking training to edit what comes out of his mouth, and he also was super intimidated at guarding Luka (which he also shouldn’t have said in a 100% edited world, but with Yaxel, that is part of the package).
Either you love the zero filter or you hate his randomness.
I think it’s really complementary that he thinks about Luka. He talked shit about Draymond, too. That’s just how he is.
Agreed. Laker subreddit thought more so that he was shooting himself in the foot by making himself a target in future Luka matchups. I personally like his earnestness, and he doesn’t seem like a dude destined to be a heel.
Well, that’s a bit excessive. checks flair Ah, of course. I like Yaxel. His comments about Luka were silly, but he’s dawg so far. He has good size and solid footwork.
As much as I hate the Lakers, Luka was an endless whiner well before he became one.
No it wasn’t all Luka does is complain about foul calls and plays no defense. Stop meatriding!
He still gave you belt. This guy has a good personality but going out after a blowout loss and throwing your teammates under the bus shows a bit of immaturity. As a player he’s a stud though
I never said Luka wasn’t good, I said he was a massive whiner, which is objectively true.
No they’re just lameass Luka fangirls lol
So if a person doesn’t like another person that automatically makes them a weirdo? Quite the take.
If a person don’t respect a dawg then they’re a weirdo to me yea
What’s more weird is this sub’s massive hard on for him. Like I get it, he’s talented and quirky.
But I promise you I really don’t need to see “this guy is so awesome and honest, anyone who doesn’t think so is a hater!” On every single post he’s involved in. It’s incredibly corny
massive hard on? They were just dragging him through the coals when he and luka were going at it
You know what’s corny? Logging on to the internet to hate on people instead of talking about shit you enjoy.
You are literally logging on to the internet hating on people for not enjoying what you enjoy. Let’s not be hypocritical.
Would you mind explaining to me what you mean by “logging on to the internet”? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that one before. What does it mean?
Also top 1% commenter trying to police my comments is absolutely nasty work. Get a life my guy.
It’s ironic they don’t see the shit they do as corny.
Meanwhile blazer fans and Yang Hansen…
Lmao genuinely what are you talking about? Yang sucks and isn’t an nba player and we all agreed on that early on. Where have you been?
We got an unprotected Orlando first and a massive Chinese market boost for taking him. He doesn’t need to ever play.
Classic warriors fan being completely oblivious to what’s happening outside of their team.
You telling everybody that likes him that you think it’s weird is cool
The fuck are you talking about?
Yaxel Lendeborg.
Lukasexuals dont like the truth around here, i love that he called out his shameless crying and flopping, rookie or not
“lukasexuals” grow up
LUKASEXUALSSS real sensitive lil donks
touch grass bud
Lukasexual SPOTTED, the dude will get hurt or cry his way out of pllayoffs anyway
nah there are plenty of valid reasons to dislike a player that dont make you a weirdo. blindly loving a guy is just as weird
It’s not blindly bozo
Such a weird thing to say, who is he fucking Martin Luther King? What divine thing did Yaxel do to earn him this title where if you don’t like him you are weird
Call Luka a bitch
Came into the league as a man and instantly called out Luka’s whining
That’s all it takes for you to love a man unconditionally, sounds like you were looking for an excuse
Be a dawg
So like Lu Dort
Or Luka/Lakers fans lol
Not all of them, but a good majority of them hate on him constantly
Love a player with dawg in em
i feel like most lakers/luka fans love it lol. who doesnt love someone who is down to shit talk luka. fans have been asking for management to pay someone to do it from the standa for years.
Literally any fanbase would be annoyed by an opposing rookie in his first ever nba game going to the podium afterward and absolutely trashing their best player
the season is one week old, it’s too early to be caring about this
I just find all this and what he said before really corny, but who cares. Don’t have strong feelings about him, don’t hate himnat all, but I’m in my right to think this is performative and corny.
Cool thanks for sharing weirdo
Good projection, gfy
You should’ve started liking him the minute he started trash talking Luka
Eh, talking trash and then losing ain’t it
A rookie talking trash to a great player, while doing great defensive work on that great player. Losing is more of a team thing. Plus, just trash talking when you winning is lame.
Great? You guys go overboard with the glaze.
He should only talk when he’s up?
He should back the talk up is my point…hello? It’s comical to talk trash and get blown out
Brother that’s 75% of the league lmao
Yeah this is awesome. I’ll be rooting for him. 0 ego to genuinely ask that question.
I remember the thread last week about his comments on Luka. Top comment was “this guy has no PR training”.
Like this sub doesn’t complain that most of these players are robots and give the same answers to the media.
His answer last week was refreshing and I enjoyed his question to the guys tonight. More authentic than what we normally see.
I remember that comment too
He 100% can be an impact player on a contender. He’s already shown his ability to facilitate and either get open or find his own shot. Honestly all he’s missing is experience
I’m one of the people who wanted him to just chill out on the side comments cause it seems like he was non-stop, but he’s clearly about playing the game. I have no problem with him going at Luka lol I’d rather see that than see someone do all the talking then fold
The funny thing about the side comments is that other people have saying the same things for awhile now. Regarding rebounding, Steven Adams has talked about the topic previously and largely agrees. i.e. modern bigs don’t want to or know how to put in the trench work. I don’t think any of us particularly disagree either that it seems easier than ever to get free throws.
Its not about disagreeing or agreeing, its about how you can come off annoying if you go on and on about it to the media, especially since this is the first a lot of people are seeing of you. It’s been 4 games of Yax and I saw how many press conference clips of him about the same topic. I’ve heard bout his long journey and the growth he had to go throuh to even develop the discipline to play Basketball, and even I thought damn is this still what he wants his first week in the league to be about? Just chill out and let your game do the talking, earn your stripes first and show out. Steven Adams has been playing in the league for years and is known more for his play that his talking, so you see why no one bats an eye about it.
Anyone calling out Luka’s crying has a fan in me lmao
It’s been weird seeing so much hate on Yaxel for doing so because I thought the same thing. Guy immediately became one of my favorite players
People didn’t hate on him until he said it in the press conference and the media got to parade it around. On the court nobody cared and it was cool
Can’t wait for the lakers to get their free wins against the dam imabumyo
I love him
He 100% has a future career as an analyst dude is likeable as hell
Anyone that makes fun of luka has a fan in me.
He was a good character at Michigan. Will always cheer for the guys that came from that team. They’re all pretty damn good too (we’ll see about Morez if/when he gets more minutes)
In a league full of NPCs, a guy like him is much appreciated. Also his story about starting at 24 is inspirational. Wish him the best even if he had to debut against Doncic lmao.
Yaxel is a good dude and a great teammate. You will like him more as time goes on.
At Michigan he had interviews where he would just straight up say “I f’n sucked today. I wasn’t good enough” and yet he never once said anything bad about his teammates.
He has great leadership and humility. You will also get a lot more funny interviews
Hes gonna win a chip before Luka does. Study the mentality, this kid has it
Same.
You arent because all players need to be PR trained like JT apparently!!!
Give it time, you’ll hate him soon. NBA fans only know hate.
You’re supposed to like whoever you want to. Not everyone needs to move like sheep.
Nothing wrong with that. Also nothing wrong if your first impression with him was in a bad way because he set himself up for that.
Yes
He has balls and is willing to learn - what a cool way to get the analysts talking too.
Absolutely blown away that Carmelo Anthony gave the best advice of the three.
Carmelo is such a good basketball player and communicator, why lol.
Bc he didnt play winning basketball
No not in the nba. You’re right. He played to get paid. And he was exactly right to do so - see Dolan and KAT rn. Olympic melo and syracuse melo were unreal and completely different ends of the bball spectrum. He’s a spectacular basketball player.
That’s funny, he won a lot of basketball games. Didn’t miss the playoffs the first 11 years in the league.
Mind you the nuggets were terrible when he got drafted.
I’m stunned that I’ve never heard anyone ask for advice before. This is his first NBA postgame interview ever after a win, and he wanted to make the most of it.
Yax really said he thought he’s “gonna wet the bed” when they asked him how he thought his first NBA games gonna be like
COACHABILITY +10
I’m so used to many of these former players only getting these jobs because of their standing, but they actually gave really good advice.
All 3 gave really good advice, I know TMac and VCs advices basically the same but it is true, even in a normal workplace you would ask the seniors or veterans of that workplace how to do things.
Ask good questions and only ask them once gets you on every senior coworker’s good side real quick.
their halftime show was also really good imo, i was pleasantly surprised
Really? I thought that advice was so superficial that any of us could have given it
Advice that’s correct isn’t superficial. They’ve seen him play four games, maybe they’ve watched some tape of him before the draft.
His teammates have seen him practice, know how he fits with the team and what he’s doing that works vs what causes problems. If they’d actually tried to give him advice on his game it would have been superficial and lame, telling him to ask that question to the people who are actually in a good position to help is the best advice they can give.
I think they copped out and played it safe. None of them criticized his game at all.
Not gonna lie, this dude rocks.
Keep it in your pants, my guy. People spamming comments like these on every post about him lol it’s actually pretty weird
he said this dude rocks and you made it sexual. youre the weirdo
😭😂☠️
People spamming hate to him originally for basically nothing is way weirder
especially when its the same people over and over
What you just commented is waaaaay weirder.
My guy. You make a comment like every 5 minutes. Is reddit that Important in your life? Go outside.
Creep
On a scale of 1-10 how much do you hate yourself? My guess is an 8
Incoherent response lol
…..okay, like genuinely. Are you okay?
When you tell your girl that “she rocks” does she immediately start rummaging for the lacy bra or
This nice
Seen enough to get the sense that Yaxel has confidence without arrogance. Love his growth mindset.
Amazing that people here hate on this guy because he’s an older rookie and because he didn’t get on his knees for Luka like they do 💀
Luka is the white knight for a lot of people lol. Same reason they go so hard for Jokic and will be for Flagg in a few years
Eh r nba is extremely reactionary. One day Luka is fat and hot headed, next day he is the next Jesus.
Cant he both at the same time?
Just look at the flairs. Its just people supporting and commenting on threads that fit their views. Luka glazing threads would be full of laker and mavs flairs etc…
Are you making this a racial thing? Like Luka isn’t one of (if not the) most popular player in the NBA?
I think we’re kidding ourselves if we pretend race doesn’t play a part in a player’s popularity, the league was built on it. The league took off once Bird vs. Magic was a thing, same reason Clark vs. Reese has helped the WNBA. The top 5 most popular NBA podcasts are hosted by white guys.
The league’s fanbase is probably as progressive as it gets in sports but it doesn’t mean people don’t like cheering for people that look like them or more comfortable with those that look like them.
Dirk 100% helped me understand why representation matters at a young age.
Absolutely disgusting take
I find it hard to take this seriously when we have literal race mongers on ESPN like Kendrick Perkins, Stephen A. Smith, and hell, even Wilbon consistently pushing narratives about who should be the face of the league. They repeatedly champion players like Ja and Ant as the next face of the NBA, while seemingly holding international stars to a different standard. It often feels like they’re more interested in pushing a particular narrative than evaluating players objectively, even if it means diminishing others in the process.
Wow. The 90s had MJ as the most popular player on the planet. And then… Kobe, Shaq, Tmac, Dwade, AI, Lebron, Melo, Duncan, Curry, etc. They were the most popular even if a few racists liked Stockton or Nash. The racists did not adopt foreign players either, and they weren’t fans of basketball in general. Luka is good, and even if he has his faults, the league will embrace him until the next big thing. This fake ass race baiting shit has got to go.
This isn’t about race though. It’s about a rookie who talked shit to the player that historically burns trash talkers. Luka is the reason why the too small gesture was popularized because he used it on pat bev (trash talking).
One group believes he’s being a naive idiot. Another group sees his naivety as bravery. They like yaxel voicing his strong opinions. In the end we don’t know what yaxel said to Luka specifically and what Luka said back. We know the context is probably about foul baiting/whining.
Foul baiting is another divisive topic. Then there’s the topic of sga vs Luka on foul baiting lol. Luka also watched LeBron whine. At one point in time LeBron was one of the most successful whiners. Granted prime LeBron was getting hacked a lot just like Luka.
I want that lip reader YouTuber to do a video. Those vids are entertaing
Minorities are celebrated in every facet of society due to being a minority, why would that be different for minorities in the NBA?
Of course he is. Did you forget you’re on Reddit?
Do not waste your time, some people’s victim complex are way too high.
You ever think those things are related? Or did Caitlin Clark just really ignite the world with just her play?
You’re saying the WNBA’s growth can be linked to a similar growth in the NBA because of white talent? Are you absolutely insane?
And what is he to the people who flood every post on here insulting him…
I guess that’s something his fanbase has to live with… just like they even hate on folks who call out his issues and downsides while still acknowledging his skills and talent.
Always going to be trolls when people can post anonymously.
And? Have you seen his smile
Reddit lol
Emphasis on white lol.
They will not be for Flagg. It’s a non-American thing not a race thing. People abhor and detest any American or anything vaguely American at this point
Flagg is going to be a mega star, he was the lead in the New Balance ad campaign before he even dribbled a basketball in the league. The podcast guys have adored him since he was at Duke (and for good reason to be fair).
If Cooper can sneak the Mavs into the playoffs and the world gets to see how talented he is, Wemby vs. Flagg is going to be a HUGE seller for the NBA beyond Wemby vs. Shai. I mean this sounds very cynical and I do apologize for that because I don’t think it’s purposely coming from a bad place for most people but they’ve had to settle for Euros. People absolutely want a white American to cheer for and Josh Allen (despite being a modern Cam Newton replica)’s popularity in the NFL is a reflection of that at a position that’s becoming more and more black.
I agree with everything you said except comparing Josh Allen to Cam. Allen is a much more talented QB than Cam was, his arm talent is far better than Cam’s ever was and his running game is just as good as Cam’s was if not even better.
Look at any QB stat you want and Josh Allen is just measurably better than Cam ever was even in his MVP year. Cam’s MVP season is like Josh Allen’s average year. Cam was a good QB Josh is just on another level though.
If you just look at stats you could even make an argument he’s as good/better than Mahomes but I wouldn’t say that but you wouldn’t put Cam Newton in the same league as Mahomes at all. Everything else you said I agree with though but that comparison was just crazy to me.
Cam Newton could never throw the ball like Josh Allen, what a dumb thing to say. Josh is just better not everything is about race.
wonder why
TF has Luka done in this league that he can be so high about? No rings, No MVP. He’s a great player but ppl act like he’s LeBron because he replaced LeBron.
He’s got a Euroleague championship. Yax has an NCAA championship. Neither one matters in the NBA.
Oh yeah, 6x all nba first team selection and 2 scoring titles gets on a same level as a 24 year rookie lol. He can be high and mighty as much he wants and not a thing yax can do about it
I’m not putting them on the same level. I’m saying the pearl clutching about not respecting Luka is ridiculous.
He’s a polarizing player. I like him a lot for the way he talks and challenges people on the court. It’s refreshing.
Older rookie isn’t necessarily a bad thing now that NCAA pays their players.
Luka will make you bend the knee too
Bro doesn’t know you
That’s not why people hate him lol. This guy was so fucking egotistical at Michigan it was off-putting.
I can’t believe people hate him for his haircut ! The internet is weird lol
I’m so confused by comments like this lol. Literally any fanbase would be annoyed by an opposing rookie in his first ever nba game going to the podium afterward and absolutely trashing their best player. Why is any of the aftermath surprising?
What is he was completely right
They talked trash during the game, the Lakers then went on a 53-20 run and went up 30+ points in the 3rd quarter and blew out the Warriors, and then Yaxel was upset and threw a tantrum afterward to the media to try to make it about Luka complaining too much to refs 🤷♂️
He played first game in the league against one of the top 5 players in the league, and after he talked to press and trashed him like a whiny little *itch. Gee, why would not love the guy?
I meannnnnnnnnn, Luka whines like a little piglet every game, all game, nonstop, even at the expense of his own team’s defense
What’s funny is Luka spent the season opener yelling at Yaxel, not the refs. Anyone at the game including Warriors reporters can confirm that.
Luka absolutely has games where he complains too much… that one was Yaxel upset after getting blown out and put on Luka’s career highlight reel with the halfcourt shot, so he trashed him to the media
Wait 1on1 didn’t Yaxel hold Luka to 1 for 5?
How is all that gagging on Luka working for you? Luka is a great player but he whines like a bitch every game. How many points and games he’s going to cost the lakers cause he can’t get his slow ass back on defense?
You can’t possibly be saying this after he beat you 2 days ago with 52/10/8 in your building
It’s so wild that Luka discourse exists completely separate from the games themselves. He literally just destroyed your team and you’re insulting him claiming he loses his team games. It’s unreal 😂
It’s not my building. I don’t own the Jazz, nor am I am fan of the Jazz. I just set my flair to whatever. Regardless, that’s besides the point. It doesn’t change that Luka’s behavior is going to cost the Lakers games when it matters the most. I mean it already has in the past.
Since I’ve been watching basketball whoever has been the Laker’s face has received a borderline comical level of hate. It comes with the territory.
Why are you writing this thing? He gave you 52, and you are still yapping against him? Lol. You were destroyed by Luka at your home court. Hope you can see that over that delusion in which you apparently live.
Luka hasn’t won anything in the league, not even a MVP. Lakers fans think he should be bowed down to like he’s Jordan, LeBron, or Kobe.
I dont like him because he is extremely arrogant. You can fall for this crap but he is only doing it to make him look like a good guy.
Why did they say 2 veterans he can lean on draymond and Steph? What about butler?
Horford is on the team too lol
Crap I forgot about him too lol I’m surprised they didn’t mention him either
Jimmy Butler - known mentor and positive resource for young developing players.
Made me chuckle
Honestly he’s been that guy on the Warriors. So far. I mean I know there’s a bit of a cycle for him, but he hasn’t shown any bad behavior so far.
Maybe 2 veterans champs. Lol
Also they are playing right now.
They’re also both faces of the franchise whereas Butler is for the streets (trades)
Knee not strong enough to lean on yet?
There’s plenty but the warriors are Steph and draymonds team. They are the dynasty so it’s just saying learn from the guys who created one of the best teams ever
The two guys who have been in the same org their entire lives. Lean on them. A
Can’t lean on Butler he’s still hurt
Butler is out until Feb with the injury. Probably just not present in their minds. Also he said HOF specifically. Is butler HOF? I don’t think so rn.
Yeah he is
Easily HOF
Jimmy Butler is absolutely a HOF player
Butler easily gets in.
well it is Steph and Butler they are talking about. The real question is why they be leaving Draymond out? what he do?
It’s not that deep
of course it isn’t. I am very grateful that you made me realise that. Take a bow, I swear my allegiance to ya.
So you didn’t watch the interview huh?
yeah sorry I forgot my /j I thought I was being funny and now I realise that I was not, shall I take it down if it is making your eyes go brrr
Also forgot about Al Horford too
holy shit, I totally forgot about him, now that I think very carefully Horford might be the best when it comes to teaching him.
Yeah he’s surrounded by champion winning vets and in a good organization, not many players can say that.
They don’t want him to get socked in his shit
Dude is just breaking the standard, boring interviews with free will. I love it.
People were in here shitting on this dude for saying what WE ALL SAY about Luka and a few days later y’all flip flopping. Classic NBA reddit hive mind
Nah it’s a different crowd. After that first game, the Lakers crowd was out in full force. They didn’t play today so they are absent from these threads. It’s a big subreddit
Just because you see different comments doesn’t mean they are made by the same group of people. People comment and upvote things they agree with, then the next day other people comment and upvote things they agree with. Neither opinion represents the whole of reddit.
Not sure what’s going on in this specific situation, but I agree with your comment so much. I get so frustrated with the idea that Reddit is a monolith when it comes to opinions. There are so many different people, as well as bots that I can hardly accept that one opinion represents “Reddit”.
I don’t think you understood what I said. I saw a few comments of people saying they were a fan that was shit talking him after the laker stuff. Point is pretty clear idk why you insist on arguing your point lmao
This is the Goomba Fallacy. The internet isn’t one small group of people who constantly flip flop.
500 comments in this post and 250,000 daily visitors on r/nba. It may not be the same people.
This is my hobby horse on this sub, people act like a bunch of the same folks are just whiplashing from one opinion to the other when in fact different comments from different people get more upvotes and traction depending the post.
Probably not all the same people, but also probably is some of the same people. A lot of these people live in this sub. I even saw a few comments saying they changed their tune. So it’s a mix - I am not speaking to those people
He said what we all think. I’m so tired of Harden throwing his head back and forth every effing time he drives.
You know it’s not the same people right?It’s like taking the same train on different days and times: it’ll be 90% different people everytime.
So you’re doing what your criticizing: you’re just babbling along
He’s talking about general consensus. When folk speak on large groups of people they’re speaking on the general consensus. Its very silly that people like yourself try to pull the “well that may have been different individuals” when individual people aren’t being addressed.
Sorry but general consensus consists of individuals having a common or similar focus/mindset/ideal. If the individuals change the consensus change. So he and you are referring to a „ghost“ because the group individuals changed and the general consensus went with them
It is different individuals. Most people will upvote/read the top 3 comments on a thread and then will make up their minds about it and move on. Also, criticism of a guy when he’s saying dumb sh is going to be upvoted as opposed to praising a guy when he admits he is hungry to learn and last in the league. It is different people upvoting different things and it’s a different narrative that catches fire.
If 5 individuals upvote 3 comments being critical of this dude then that’s what you will see hours later due to how Reddit’s algorithm works. But if 5 different individuals upvote 3 different comments praising this guy, then that’s what you will see the next time.
Is this really that complicated?
Are you new to the internet?
Something something goomba meme
I have never seen an interview like this before, this dude is clearly special.
I think I’ve found my new favorite player
Thats awesome, Yax will provide many entertaining soundbites over the years, if he becomes a star itll be a better league
I feel like I like this dude
This dude got the dog in him and humble enough to ask for advice. I dont think the hate is warranted given that his game is legit.
This is awesome.
He’s him
I used to interview college kids for investment banking jobs. Every single interview was just like this one lol.
Your name fits the bill
This kid is converting me to like him.. Asking greats on tips and willing to listen.. Keep pushing Yaxel. Keep pushing.
He’s one of the few dudes where it’s definitely paid off having a ton of experience before the NBA. Clown him for being an older rookie, dudes still in the NBA and killing
I don’t understand people that have that sentiment at all. We had to sit and watch people like Kuminga and Wiseman and TJD struggle to learn and find minutes, giving us so many ups and downs with little consistency until it fizzled out. I would rather just draft a (closer to) game ready player instead of having to “develop” for those years.
A handful of podcast guys go “what about his age?” and it just takes off. It’s not really backed by anything. This subreddit is mostly just recycled takes that nephews get from Bill Simmons, Zach Lowe, Windhorst, etc.
I would say he doesn’t even have a ton of experience. He started playing basketball around his senior year of high school or something like that.
I don’t know why you got downvoted, but he absolutely has less organized basketball experience than most rookies. He just happened to start late and developed into a lottery pick.
Unlike Poole, Yaxel probably sends Draymond crashing to the ground if he even tries that shit lol. Yaxel is literally as big as LeBron (nearly identical builds in fact). Draymond probably knows that Yaxel ain’t your average rookie though.
Yes, Yaxel’s build and weight is almost identical to rookie LeBron. Also shares a similar diversity of skills and strength as a young LeBron too, though obviously not as athletic, albeit a better shooter out of the gates.
I’ve been calling him Kirkland LeBron.
He’s actually had the nickname “Dominican LeBron” since college lol
LeYax lmao
Ur buggin if you think dray would swing on yaxel. Poole and yaxel are two completely different personalities
Yaxel is also huge
Warriors have been proven right about Poole tho. Extremely streaky and zero D is a bench player on a contender at best.
Draymond had a bit to do with his regression but Poole hasn’t proven the doubters wrong with elevating his game.
Who knows how he would have developed on a contender vs being allowed to do whatever he wants on a shitty team
Outside of like 4 months of his career where he absolutely balled out and helped us win a championship Hes been pretty average at best to absolutely terrible. The eye test and stats back it up.
Before the punch he wasn’t exactly lighting it up and even curry was fed up with him.
Never seen Curry get pissed at someone on the team during a game but Poole did that.
Ehh maybe but his shot selection is insane , he can’t really be relied upon
And horrible defender. He’s like a 6th or 7th man sparkplug scorer if your star needs a rest type of guy
I do think if ever there was a “proven right to let someone go” situation it’s GS with Poole
Poole’s problem was that if he wasn’t shooting well, we was doing nothing well.
Roster selection is a reason some teams are contenders and others let players do what they want
Bro he was given a long leash the whole time he was with the Warriors.
Wheres Jordan poole now
Swimming in his Jordan pool
Yaxel is bigger than Draymond lol
Draymond only gonna swing on a smaller dude. Yaxel is huge
Nurkic seemed pretty big to me
And gobert, and sabonis
I agree. Poole is a system player. Him playing badly on other teams doesn’t mean he would’ve fizzled out on the warriors. They knew how to use him, as his playstyle is superficially similar to Steph
If the warriors kept Poole he could’ve been a valuable contributor
Hopefully Draymond stays cool because Yaxel seems like he’ll mouth off at the wrong time
Somehow you guys forget how awful Jordan Poole could be outside of the championship run and just lean into surface level narratives.
Blaming his basketball talent level on anything to do with Draymond is ridiculous. The incident just soured the relationship in the locker room it didn’t somehow stunt his growth.
You also forget that he thought he should be the main guy. His ego has always been big and that’s one of the reasons everything went south in the first place. He wasn’t going to accept being an off the bench scoring option for his whole career. Draymond shouldn’t have punched him but there’s a reason it happened and Jordan Poole wasn’t just minding his business somewhere and got sucker punched.
Poole didn’t become awful until after he was punched. The guy was CARRYING when Steph was injured. He was putting up SGA numbers over like 30 games.
Then the punch happened. Mentally he was never the same.
People remember that one season he had where he was playing within the system, efficient and not making many mistakes. Before and after that he was flashy and bad. His advanced stats were never great because outside of scoring he wasn’t.
yeah but yaxel has maybe the biggest ego on planet earth
Should’ve kept Jordan Poole
How is he doing BTW?
bullies only target people smaller than them. Draymond ain’t gonna do shit to Yax