The Warriors used Thursday's pre-draft workout to examine a player who could be ready much sooner than the usual lottery prospect.
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg visited Chase Center as Golden State considers its options with the No. 11 pick in the June 23 NBA Draft. He helped the Wolverines win the national championship and set a program record with 37 victories, averaging 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists during his final college season.
Lendeborg is 23 and will turn 24 before he plays his first NBA game. That makes him the oldest projected lottery pick by a wide margin in a class loaded with freshmen. For Golden State, his age may be part of the appeal rather than a concern.
Steve Kerr has said the team's first-round pick needs to play next season. The Warriors are still trying to win around Stephen Curry, and Lendeborg's physical profile gives him a chance to earn minutes quickly. He measured nearly 6-foot-9 without shoes and has a 7-foot-3 wingspan.
At Michigan, Dusty May used him as a defensive problem-solver. Lendeborg regularly guarded the other team's best player, moving from quick point guards to larger forwards depending on the matchup. That range would allow Kerr to use him in several lineup combinations with Curry, Draymond Green and the rest of Golden State's veteran rotation.
Lendeborg believes he would also fit the Warriors' offense. He noted how often Golden State moves without the ball and runs actions designed to free Curry. Playing off that gravity, he said, would make his own reads simpler and help teammates find open space.
This will be Mike Dunleavy's first opportunity to make a lottery selection as Warriors general manager. The organization is approaching the decision differently than it did with James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. Those three were high-level teenage prospects selected in 2020 and 2021 with a second timeline in mind.
Golden State hoped those players would develop while Curry's core remained competitive, then take over later. The plan never came together. Recent roster moves instead point toward a full commitment to the present: the Warriors traded for Jimmy Butler, gave 40-year-old Al Horford a two-year deal and exchanged Kuminga for Kristaps Porzingis at the February deadline.
Lendeborg's journey does not resemble that of a typical lottery prospect. He grew up in Pennsauken, New Jersey, and barely played organized basketball in high school. He then spent three years at junior college in Yuma, Arizona, followed by two seasons at UAB and one championship year at Michigan.
He does not like describing younger prospects as having more upside. Lendeborg said they have simply spent longer in the spotlight and that every player's path is different. His path, he explained, has made him play every game with the need to show that he belongs and is still improving.
Five other prospects joined Thursday's workout: Utah State guard Drake Allen, Illinois guard Kylan Boswell, South Carolina guard Meechie Johnson, Ole Miss forward Malik Dia and Tennessee center Felix Okpara. They are mostly projected as late second-round picks or undrafted free agents. The Warriors will bring in more prospects next week before deciding whether Lendeborg is the right fit at No. 11.
Golden State now has to decide how much it values certainty. Lendeborg's ceiling may be discussed differently from that of a teenager, but his recent production offers evidence of what he can already do. He contributed as a scorer, rebounder and passer for a title team, and Michigan trusted him with difficult defensive assignments throughout the season.
Those are useful traits for a rookie trying to enter Kerr's rotation. The Warriors do not need another player who requires the offense to be built around him. They need someone who can read the floor, work without the ball and defend well enough to stay on the court. Lendeborg's workout was an opportunity to show that those parts of his game are ready.
His long college career also means he has experienced several levels of basketball rather than one highly recruited season. Junior college gave him his first meaningful platform. UAB gave him Division I experience. Michigan gave him a chance to play under championship pressure and against the strongest competition of his career.
That progression is why Lendeborg pushes back on the idea that older prospects lack upside. He started later than most players in his draft range and believes he can keep improving. The Warriors' evaluation will come down to whether that growth potential, combined with his current readiness, is worth the No. 11 pick.
Thursday did not settle the question. It did confirm that Lendeborg belongs among Golden State's serious options. With more workouts scheduled next week, the Warriors will compare him with younger prospects and decide which type of gamble best serves Curry's remaining championship window.
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