Former Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg is making NBA history and making teams look foolish

NBA teams are probably already wishing they hadn't passed on Michigan baskeball superstar Yaxel Lendeborg.

Just four games into his pro career, the national champion and 2025-26 Big Ten Player of the Year, Lendeborg isn't just making an impact; he's making history. Or at least putting his name among some of the greatest in the history of the NBA.

Monday night, Lendeborg went off for the Warriors, scoring 31 points in 31 minutes. The rookie grabbed 12 rebounds and also dished out six assists. He was 9-for-19 from the field. Yaxel only made one 3-pointer, shooting poorly from beyond the arc. Yet, since he was 1-for-8 from 3-point range, he was 8-for-11 on 2-point attempts.

However, that was the one blemish in what was otherwise a spectacular performance. Not only did Lendeborg become the first Golden State Warriors rookie since Steph Curry to score 30 points to go along with 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists. That happened 16 years ago.

He also made NBA history.

Yaxel Lendeborg has a historic start to his NBA career

Lendeborg is off to one of the greatest starts to a career in NBA history, at least for a frontcourt player. Since the NBA draft lottery began in 1985-86, only three players have ever started their NBA careers with more than 85 points and 35 rebounds in their first four games.

Those players were David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and Shaquille O'Neal. That is, until Lendeborg joined them on Monday, as he has 87 points, 37 rebounds, 19 assists, four steals, and two blocks in his first four games with Golden State.

That's an average of 21.75 points, 9.25 rebounds, 4.75 assists, and one steal per game. Yaxel is shooting 45 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3-point range. What's even more impressive is that the dude has 18 offensive rebounds. That's 4.5 per game.

Looking back, NBA teams made a huge mistake passing on him. They were concerned about Lendeborg's age. However, he hasn't even played organized basketball that long. His future is incredibly bright. After four games, he's been the best rookie in the league, and it's not even close.

Lendeborg is second on the Warriors in points scored, first in rebounds, and second in assists. Outside of Curry, he might be the best player on the team.

And with the way Lendeborg is playing right now, it might not say that way for long as the Warriors struck gold with the Michigan basketball national champion.

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