This was supposed to be a wasted season for Steph Curry. 

The Warriors were injury-riddled and coming off a lackluster summer in which they made no major moves. 

It meant the greatest shooter of all time was destined to tread water as he turned 39 years old. 

He has resuscitated Curry’s career. He has breathed new life into a flailing dynasty. He has given the Warriors their future franchise star. 

Lendeborg was a question mark when the Warriors selected him as the No. 11 pick in the 2026 draft. 

Can a jack-of-all-trades turn into a star? Can a 24-year-old surpass expectations or has he already peaked? Can a rookie really be NBA ready?

Lendeborg has emphatically answered those questions. 

He’s averaging 21.5 points (50% shooting from the field, 40% from 3), seven rebounds and 3.9 assists for the Warriors, who have won five games in a row. 

The Warriors are good. Curry has a wingman. This is thrilling for anyone who loves basketball. 

No one seems to be savoring this more than Curry, whose joy has been on full display amid the Warriors’ unexpected rise.

During his 44-point deluge against the Timberwolves on Oct. 28, Curry flashed a lunge pose after sinking a shot from beyond the arc. 

After his jab sent Luka Doncic onto his butt and he swished a 3-pointer against the Lakers on Oct. 30, he did the Edvard Munch celebration, putting his hands on his cheeks and opening his mouth in shock.

And after scoring 34 points against the Suns on Monday, he didn’t hesitate when asked what has changed for the Warriors this season. 

“I mean, Yax,” Curry said, flashing a smile. 

Curry and Lendeborg are the NBA’s second-highest scoring duo (51.5 points per game), behind Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves (61.8). Lendeborg’s success has been a life raft for the Warriors, who are without Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody for the first few months of the season and without Kristaps Porzingis indefinitely.

In many ways, Lendeborg has unlocked Curry. He has made his brilliance count. He has lit a new fire under him. 

Curry, who missed 27 straight games because of runner’s knee last season, is averaging 30 points (46.8% shooting from the field, 42.9% from beyond the arc), 4.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game.

He just surpassed Michael Jordan (44) for the most 40-point games in NBA history since turning 30, notching his 45th such performance last week. 

Curry is playing as though he were a decade younger. And that’s because a guy 14 years younger than him is making all of this meaningful. 

It’s funny because this really couldn’t have worked out better for both parties. 

Curry, a two-time MVP and four-time champion, is doing what he loves most: winning. 

And the outspoken Lendeborg has found a team that needs him to contribute immediately and encourages his bravado, two things that could’ve been problematic with other franchises. 

Patience isn’t Lendeborg’s strong suit. 

And neither is being politically correct. 

The rookie recently raised eyebrows when he stunningly said he lost all respect for Dončić following their trash talk in the season opener. The Warriors didn’t wince. 

Instead, Curry, Draymond Green and coach Steve Kerr unapologetically had his back. 

Lendeborg landed in the perfect situation. He has a mentor in Green, who’s famous for unabashedly speaking his mind. And he has a franchise behind him with a win-now mentality that needs him to shine. 

Lendeborg has found his home. He can flourish here. He needs to flourish here. 

As for Curry?

He has found his life preserver. 

It’s in the form of a rookie who has made it so that instead of treading water he’s soaring.