Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart get honest about Yaxel Lendeborg's trash-talking

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It has been quite an eventful 2026-27 NBA season so far for Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg. In his very first league game, he got into it with Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic. After the game, he told the media that he "lost all respect" for Doncic, which was surprising coming from a rookie.

Of course, Lendeborg has backed up all his talk because he is having a fantastic rookie year so far. He is averaging 21.5 points, seven rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game over the first eight games of his career. That is a fantastic start, but the trash talk might have damaged his reputation a bit.

Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart speak on Yaxel Lendeborg's trash talk

Lendeborg is never shy to be as natural as he can be. This has led to widespread discussions around the league, including being a topic on New York Knicks duo Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart's podcast. Yaxel has become a hot topic, and it seems the Knicks duo loves seeing what he has done so far.

However, the trash talk might come back to bite Lendeborg in the future. At the moment, he has done well for himself because he is arguably the Warriors' second-best player behind Stephen Curry. However, the trash talk might give him a reputation that other star players will be motivated by.

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Brunson and Hart love that the rookie is getting assertive with his game. However, they are warning Lendeborg to be careful with the media because not only could that affect his reputation, but it could also cloud how people are speaking about him.

"Maybe dial down the media, like I have no respect for him; I wouldn't have said that to the media. He might have said it; that's what he did the most with that. I think it's good for the game (trash talk on the court), when you do that, there's always a level of energy in the arena. It's cool," Hart and Brunson said on their Roommates Show podcast.

They are giving some great advice here when it comes to dealing with the media. Leaving it all on the floor is probably the best approach when it comes to being vocal, and it seems Lendeborg himself has toned it down since that incident with Doncic. He won't be shy to speak his mind, but it will probably be only when it's necessary.