When Yaxel Leneborg helped lead Michigan to a National Championship last season, it was a no-brainer that he would be a high first-round NBA Draft pick. While it would have been a storybook ending for Lendeborg to team back up with former head coach Dusty May and the Dallas Mavericks, instead he headed out West to the Golden State Warriors, where he is already making an impact.
When the Warriors drafted Lendeborg, it felt like he would serve as a great sixth man in the rotation, the first one off the bench, but now that could be changing. According to Warriors NBC reporter Dalton Johnson, head coach Steve Kerr could be "leaning towards" putting Lendeborg in the starting lineup to open the season.
Warriors HC Steve Kerr is "leaning towards" a potential new starting lineup this season 👀 pic.twitter.com/4cSPjKncVt
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 12, 2026
With the Warriors still dealing with injuries this season, like the mysterious one to Kristaps Porziņģis, Lendeborg has been a constant in the starting lineup through the two preseason games. When Kerr talked about possible changes, Lendeborg's name didn't even come up, which means the former Wolverine could be more of a starter in his rookie season than coming off the bench.
Yaxel Lendeborg is getting his shot in the NBA right away
Lendeborg decided to take one more shot at a National Championship when he chose to stay in the college ranks last season. Before transferring to Michigan, Lendeborg tested the NBA Draft waters, and while he would probably still have been a first-round pick, he probably wouldn't have been as high as he was after winning it all with the Wolverines.
The downside to that was Lendeborg's age being a factor in his draft value. When looking at the top five picks in the 2026 NBA Draft, all were one-and-done freshmen from the 2025-2026 season, while Lendeborg entered the draft after using all his college eligibility. At the age of 24, Lendeborg was on the older side of draft prospects, but the Warriors still took a chance on him.
Lendeborg's experience is what really makes him stand out as a basketball player, and it is what helped Michigan win it all last season. Now with the Warriors, Lendeborg is with a lot of big names like Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and even Porziņģis. The Warriors will even see the return of Jimmy Butler midway through the season after he tore his ACL in early 2026.
For Lendeborg to already get a shot at being a starter and making an impact for this Warriors team speaks a lot to how much he has truly impressed his coaches. Kerr, at one point, spoke about how he had to have multiple conversations with Lendeborg to actually get him out of the gym and take some time off.
Clearly, Lendeborg is working as hard as ever with the rookie season about to begin, and from the looks of it, he is getting an opportunity to make an impact right away.
Add us as a preferred source on Google