Yaxel Lendeborg drops 37 points in win over Clippers, most for a Warriors rookie since Stephen Curry

We've come a long way since Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg called out Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić on opening night . Since then, the Warriors' rookie has generally backed up his trash talk, and has already turned in games with 26, 31 and 26 points.

But he saved his best performance — so far — for Sunday's contest against the Los Angeles Clippers. With Stephen Curry and Draymond Green sitting out, Lendeborg went off for a career-high 37 points in a 124-114 win over the Clippers.

That's the most points scored by a Warriors' rookie since … you guessed it … Curry back in the 2009-10 NBA season. During his rookie season, Curry exceeded 37 points just one time, when he dropped 42 points in the team's final game of the season. He did, however, cross the 30-point threshold eight total times.

After Sunday's win, Warriors coach Steve Kerr spoke extremely highly of Lendeborg, saying the team did not "expect" this, especially since Lendeborg is still learning the game, per ESPN.

"He's playing this way and he really doesn't know the NBA game yet," Kerr said. "The game is still really fast for him, but he's so skilled and so talented that he's making all kinds of plays. He's going to get a lot better."

Kerr later added that Lendeborg's emergence "changes everything" for the Warriors, who discovered the team is capable of winning games without their biggest names in the lineup. In addition to Curry and Green sitting out Sunday's game, the Warriors were also without Jimmy Butler, who is still making his way back from an ACL injury.

Lendeborg's performance should come as quite the surprise. Throughout his entire college career, Lendeborg scored 30 points just once. He's already exceeded that figure twice in seven NBA games. He's done it by hitting shots from beyond the arc, another thing Lendeborg didn't do much until his final year in college.

That long-range prowess was on display Sunday, as Lendeborg went 13 of 19 from the field, including six of 11 from 3-point range. It marked the second time in his NBA career Lendeborg has made six 3-pointers in a game.

While his output was impressive, it may not continue when Curry and Green return Monday. Lendeborg said he forced himself to step up his game with Curry out, per ESPN.

"Whenever Steph's not in the game, it's my opportunity to try to be the leader, be the main guy on the team," Lendeborg said.

But if the rookie can continue to put up big performances, it won't be long before he's a more regular staple of the team's offense, even in games where Curry is active.