When the Warriors slipped out of the NBA playoffs and into the lottery this offseason, there was speculation abound suggesting that the team would look to trade the pick–No. 11 overall–as it sought an immediate, experienced upgrade that could help them win now. But the Warriors felt they had a means of accomplishing both, adding a player who is both experienced and young, who could put forth an immediate impact while also being highly developable. That was Michigan national champ Yaxel Lendeborg, the versatile wing who will be a rookie this year, and still has upside despite the fact that he will turn 24 this month.
Lendeborg averaged 15.1 points this season in Ann Arbor, with 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists, making 37.2% of his 3-pointers. That’s the kind of versatile line that drew the Warriors to him. While other teams in the lottery were thinking more in the long-term, Golden State needs win-now pieces, especially as the team navigates early injuries to Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody.
That’s why Kerr is not only hopeful that Lendeborg will be useful this season–he wants to start him.
Warriors Could Start Yaxel Landeborg at Small Forward
Kerr wondered aloud about how a Warriors starting five with Lendeborg at the 3 would look, in a conversation with Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Said Kerr, stressing the need to play well while Butler and Moody recover–and that should be with Lendeborg as a starter: “We’ve got to win some games early and stay with the pack. But I’m excited about it. We’ve added some good players with Yaxel, Georges Niang, and believe Brandon Williams can help us. Our young guys obviously had a great summer, winning Summer League and really putting in a lot of work.
“The biggest things are figuring out who’s going to start, and what’s the rotation going to look like? Can Yaxel will play the 3 with Draymond at the 4, with Kristaps or Al at the 5? What would that look like? We’ll have a lot of time to determine that.”
Warriors Will Need Yaxel Lendeborg to Help Them Through Early Season
Indeed, the Warriors seemed to focus on filling holes to get them through the early season with the way they finished their roster. Lendeborg was a first step in that. Williams is a hard-driving point guard who can create his own shots and get to the foul line the way Butler does. Niang is a veteran who can stretch the floor and play forward or small-ball center.
Moody tore his patellar tendon in March, and has said he hopes to be running and practicing by the end of this month. That might be unrealistic, but the Warriors could get lucky and get him back early in the season. Butler toe his ACL in January and probably won’t be back until mid-December–at the earliest.
‘This Is All About the Process’
While there is no doubt that Kerr and the Warriors are not looking to head to the NBA Finals this season, he was upbeat about the outlook, pointing out that last year’s team, which won just 37 games, was a victim of bad injury luck. He lamented that the team has gone away from some of its core principles in recent years–he took blame for that at his press conference in May–and said a reset is in order this season.
Said Kerr: “For me, this is all about the process and what we’re doing day in and day out. This is a season where we’ve got to get back to our values, our basics, supporting each other, bringing great attention to detail day in and day out. That starts with our staff having a great camp, really being prepared for everything we’re going to face this year, and we have to convey that to the players.”
Warriors’ Steve Kerr Reveals Potential Big Role for Rookie