The week before training camp, every Golden State player gathered at Jimmy Butler’s San Diego mansion for pickup games. In one sequence, rookie wing Yaxel Lendeborg slipped backdoor for an uncontested dunk after Stephen Curry set a back screen and Draymond Green received the inbound. “That’s all year! All year!” Green and Curry roared at Lendeborg, according to the rookie, and Green added, “It looked like we had been playing together for a long time.”
On their final draft board, the Warriors had Lendeborg and Arizona guard Brayden Burries ranked closely behind the consensus top prospects. Team sources indicated the Warriors would have taken Burries if he had been available at No. 11; the Milwaukee Bucks selected Burries at No. 10, and Golden State pivoted to Lendeborg, an older prospect the team felt fit its immediate timeline around Stephen Curry.
At 24 years old, 241 pounds, standing 6-foot-9 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, Lendeborg brings the size and physicality the Warriors view as a mid-prime wing. The roster is thin at that spot and sidelined by injuries, “waiting for Butler and Moses Moody to return from lengthy rehabs for serious knee injuries,” the team said. “He’s massive,” Butler said. “Just a big human being.”
Lendeborg impressed coach Steve Kerr in the predraft process with his film work, charisma and willingness to learn; Kerr called him “unbelievably coachable” following a preseason win over the Los Angeles Lakers. After a national title run at Michigan that included an MCL and ankle sprain in the NCAA tournament, Lendeborg committed to offseason work, played eight summer league games and helped lead the team to a Las Vegas title.
Kerr inserted Lendeborg into the starting lineup at training camp, indicating a belief he can play small forward alongside Green or slide to power forward in smaller lineups. “He’s going to play a ton,” Kerr told ESPN. “Frankly, he deserves it. He’s one of our best players already.” The organization views Lendeborg as a young piece that can contribute during Curry’s remaining prime while helping position the franchise longer term.
