Plug and play? NBA draft prospect Yaxel Lendeborg already can see Warriors fit originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Yaxel Lendeborg accomplished everything he possibly could have to end his college career.
His one season at Michigan finished with winning the national championship in a year where he was a Consensus All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year and made the Big Ten All-Defensive team. It was a storybook ending to one of the more unique paths going into the NBA draft in modern history.
Lendeborg came through Chase Center on Thursday afternoon for a pre-draft workout and in-person interview with the Warriors. He looked to show off his versatility on the court and his fun personality off it. Lendeborg went through individual drills and 3-on-3 in a competitive setting that included five other prospects, but none as highly touted as Lendeborg.
Already, Lendeborg can see his fit on the Warriors and how he would make an impact from Day 1 if they were to take him with the No. 11 pick. His answer wasn’t about himself. More so, it was about how he can help everybody else.
“I would say, like five assists a game maybe to start off,” Lendeborg said Thursday after his Warriors workout. “A lot of defense, fastbreak opportunities for me. Depending on if I’m here or anywhere else, my role will be a lot different. But if I was here, I’ll be more like a secondary ball-handler. Whenever Steph [Curry] is taken out of the game, I’ll be there to assist, maybe provide a little more offense or instant offense.”
Curry was in the building Thursday, though it wasn’t the first time Lendeborg has met the Warriors’ superstar. The two briefly chatted in LA right before Curry dropped 35 points and played hero down the stretch against the Clippers at Intuit Dome to keep the Warriors’ season alive in the NBA play-in tournament.
To this day, Lendeborg remembers defending Curry’s greatness growing up in arguments with his friends. Playing alongside him, like so many of Curry’s past teammates, would be a full-circle dream come true.
“It would be amazing,” Lendeborg said. “He provides so much gravity on the court that it really makes it super easy for other guys to score, other guys to just showcase any ability that they have.”
The connection between Curry, Lendeborg and the Warriors makes plenty of sense. He isn’t considered a project who will need time to develop. Lendeborg is labeled as a plug-and-play rookie as someone who will turn 24 years old prior to his first NBA game.
That can be a negative for many teams, and possibly a major positive for an older team like the Warriors that wants to compete for a chance to contend.
“I really don’t like the word ‘upside,’ because it’s basically just like, this guy can be better or not, or will he be better. If you’re better now, you can still try to get better every single day. But as far as upside, if we want to use that word, I think I have the same amount as everybody.”
Unlike most draft prospects who were big names in high school, Lendeborg barely even played high school basketball. Poor grades kept getting in the way, forcing him to go the junior college route, where he excelled at Arizona Western. Lendeborg then committed to St. John’s, until Rick Pitino’s hiring changed his course again, ultimately landing at UAB (The University of Alabama at Birmingham.
There, Lendeborg dominated lower competition. He twice led the American conference in rebounds and was named the AAC’s Defensive Player of the Year in both his seasons at UAB. At Michigan, Lendeborg became the complete player he wants to be in the NBA.
Averaging 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, Lendeborg starred in his role next to two other future first-round picks in Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. Where he took the biggest leap was as an outside shooter. Lendeborg went from shooting 34.9 percent from three on just 1.5 attempts per game at UAB, to then shooting 4.5 threes per game at Michigan and making them at a 37.2 percent clip and also shot a career-high 82.4 percent at the free-throw line.
His versatility allows him to play the 3, 4 and even small-ball 5 as someone who measured in at just under 6-foot-9 barefoot and 241 pounds at the combine with a wingspan that goes further than 7-foot-3. Lendeborg’s favorite players to watch film of are Paolo Banchero, Naz Reid, LeBron James and Magic Johnson. He has heard the “Dominican LeBron” nickname handed to him, and he wears it with a badge of honor.
“I do. I really do,” he says. “It was really fun trying to keep that legacy.”
In the lead up to draft, which begins June 23, Lendeborg’s phone has been blowing up from notifications. Maybe even from you. He sees fans tagging him in mock drafts, and a lot have him going to the Warriors.
Thus far, Lendeborg has worked out for the Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder (Nos. 12 and 17), Miami Heat (No. 12), Milwaukee Bucks (No. 10), Charlotte Hornets (Nos. 14 and 18) and the Dallas Mavericks (No. 9). He also still has workouts to do for the Clippers (No. 5) and Atlanta Hawks (No. 8).
“In a way, it kind of makes me envision myself playing on a team like this, Charlotte, the Heat, all those teams that I’m getting mocked to,” Lendeborg says. “It kind of gives me something to get attached to. I can’t get too attached, though. If I don’t get drafted by any of them, I don’t want to be upset. Either way, it’s nice to see and it’s a blessing to be part of this.”
The blueprint for success in a Warriors jersey already is being built in Lendeborg’s head. He has had the chance to show them why he’s the right player to be their next top rookie, and now all Lendeborg can do is wait and see if they’ll call his name.
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