Make California Post a Preferred Source It was a tough offseason for the Warriors, who didn’t make any big moves and will enter this season without championship-contending expectations.
But there’s something to be excited about.
Yaxel Lendeborg is proving to be everything the Warriors hoped for when they selected him with the 11th overall pick in June’s NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-9 forward is a crafty scorer, skilled playmaker and strong rebounder, all things the Warriors need with Jimmy Butler, Moses Moody and Kristaps Porzingis out.
In the Warriors’ exhibition game against the Lakers on Tuesday, Lendeborg finished with 17 points, nine rebounds, two assists and one blocked shot. It was his second preseason game with nine rebounds.
“I think it’s a lot easier to get rebounds here,” Lendeborg said. “In college, the paint was always packed and there’s always somebody coming out of nowhere to rebound.
“These guys, I feel they’re more lazy to get the rebounds. I’m having clear-shot rebounds by myself. It’s crazy. I feel like I’ll have a lot of rebounding games where I’ll have like, nine to 12, something like that.”
That’s an exciting prospect for the Warriors, considering most incoming NBA players feel out of sorts while adjusting to a sped-up game with bigger and stronger competitors.
Lendeborg appears to be having the opposite reaction.
For him, this is easier than anticipated.
The Warriors selected Lendeborg because they were hoping he was NBA ready. He’s 24 years old, which is typically a demerit on draft boards for teams coveting young talent who they can develop.
But for the Warriors, who have aging stars, including the 38-year-old Steph Curry, 36-year-old Draymond Green and 37-year-old Butler, acquiring a player who could make an immediate contribution was the team’s priority.
For those guys, the window to compete is now. And it’s closing. The franchise needs to do everything possible to prop it open a bit longer.
Lendeborg appears poised to enter the lineup and make a difference.
Against the Lakers, he scored all 17 of his points in the first half on 7-for-11 shooting, including going 2-for-3 from beyond the arc. His 9 rebounds were a game-high.
Of course, all of this has to be taken with a grain of salt. It was an exhibition game. The Lakers were without their three stars in Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler, the latter of whom is an elite rebounder.
But still, Lendeborg has turned heads ever since the Warriors drafted him.
He went from carrying Michigan to a national championship to leading the Warriors’ summer league team to a title in Las Vegas, including finishing with 21 points, 10 rebounds and two steals in the championship game against the Grizzlies.
Lendeborg appears to be the real deal. He’s unafraid. He’s ready.
When it comes to the Warriors, who won four championships in eight years from 2015-2022 before failing to get past the second round of the playoffs the last four years, that’s some much-needed great news.
In what was otherwise a very uneventful offseason, Lendeborg is proving to be a beacon of hope for the league’s modern day dynasty that’s trying to swim upstream once again.
