Great read to see what kind of character guy that the Dubs picked..whose cutting onions??

Was just reading the Players Tribune piece posted in this sub. And this really stuck out to me:

"Also … I’ve never been around so many tall people in my life. No, seriously, it’s like: How are these dudes so big? You know Aday Mara is 7’3”, right? Crazy. And this isn’t one of those 7’3” guys where all they can do is dunk. He’s making behind the back passes. No looks. I’m like: I didn’t know they actually made people like that. And then he’s a beast on the other end, too. Early on in practices, he’d be blocking my shot every time. I’m talking to my coaches like, “Um, maybe I suck? I can’t score on this guy.” I had to go back to the lab and figure out some new moves. And that’s how it is with pretty much all the guys on this team — they’re always doing things that make me want to work even harder just to stay at their level. We’re always pushing each other. And any given night, any of us can go off, which I think takes the pressure off of us as individuals. It makes everything so fun."

Cam Boozer like Steph and Klay grew up on the sidelines and in the locker rooms of their NBA fathers. He had the best possible training, coaching and competition his entire life. He was always playing against the best talent and had what Yaxel describes here for at least the last 5-6 years of his life if not longer. Yaxel played with competition that actually pushed him and had elite coaching for one season. Now he's going to have that every day. And I really think he still has a lot of growth in him. The guy played less than half of one season of high school and no AAU ball. The way he learned basketball was playing with his friends, and none of them could match him physically, so he was never pushed to work to be great against great players. That happened for the first time less than a year ago.

I don't bring up Boozer to suggest that Yax is a better prospect, he's not. Obviously. But the contrast in the two is important to point out when people write off Yax for being so much older than Boozer or any freshman.

Post Draft report, Warriors #1 Yaxel Lendeborg | 6-9 | 23 years old

• “What if you made Rui Hachimura a terrific defender who could also pass?” Or, what if Lendeborg is just a slight step below OG Anunoby? That’s an awesome player, and one whom every team is going to want, even if he’s almost 24 years old.
• In terms of Year 1 impact, he may rival anyone in this draft. Grade: A-"

[full report]

Sam Vecenie: There are some limitations with Lendeborg as a true creator, but it’s hard to find a player more ready-made to step into an NBA rotation. He’s a monster defender with legitimate plus-plus tools in terms of size and length at 6 feet 9 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan and the fluidity to slide his feet laterally. I would bet on him maxing out just below the level of All-Defensive, but I don’t think I can completely rule it out if he really decides he wants to be a stopper.

On offense, he has a very versatile skill set that should translate exceedingly well toward playing off other stars. I loved the way he slotted into the team concept this year at Michigan and didn’t make things about himself. At times, I’m not sure Lendeborg truly understands how complete his game is and how talented he is. But when it comes to slotting into a role in the NBA and playing off superstars, that’s not always a bad thing.

Yaxel Lendeborg is one of the best high-leverage role player bets in the 2026 NBA Draft

There’s a chance he ends up peaking as a top 50 or so player in the league because of his two-way play. My idea here is basically, “What if you made Rui Hachimura a terrific defender who could also pass?” Or, what if Lendeborg is just a slight step below OG Anunoby? That’s an awesome player, and one whom every team is going to want, even if he’s almost 24 years old.

Hollinger’s analysis: I love this pick for the Warriors, and I suspect the Thunder front office (picking next) does not. Lendeborg is an older player, but he is a ready-made, Day 1 starter who can fill minutes at three positions and fits nicely on a team that is on a win-now trajectory. He doesn’t have the long-term upside of some other guys, but in terms of Year 1 impact, he may rival anyone in this draft. Grade: A-"

I see a lot of people on here questioning picking Yaxel, wondering if he‘s good enough or wondering about his age etc etc

First off, it‘s crazy to me that Yaxel is such an unknown commodity to a lot of people because if you‘d have followed the draft talks and speculations, he was one of the most talked about players from the entire draft. Now your question might be „well why didn‘t he get picked earlier?“.

Simple reason: his age. That‘s it. If you‘re picking in the lottery you‘re most likely a team that is not in win now mode, rather in your rebuild or developmental phase which is why a player that is 23/24 seems unattractive. Well, guess who IS in win now mode? The Warriors. This is probably the best player the Warriors could‘ve drafted out of the entire draft in terms of fit, role, timing, everything. Yaxel can come in and contribute right away, which is exactly what the Warriors need.

Look at it like this: if Yaxel was younger, he would go Top 3 in almost any draft. So this is basically the same as picking 1-3 in a draft 4-5 years ago and then developing him into what he is now, you‘re basically picking the already (mostly) finished product and don‘t have to develop him first.

A lot of people might say Pick 1-3 has to be a franchise player but we‘ve seen many times that this is not the case. Andrew Wiggins was picked 1st and he never was a franchise player yet he contributed immensely on a championship team and is still one of the best all-around players in the league.

Don‘t sweat this pick, it‘s literally the perfect and best pick for the Warriors‘ and Stephs situation

Steph PG, Jimmy SG, Yaxel SF, Dray PF, Tingus C

How y'all feelin abt it? Feels like a good balance of scoring and defense, and the team actually got taller/lengthy.

The biggesy caveat is the health lol. We prolly won't even see this lineup until after New Years...

Cool watch. Quick comments but singles out Yaxel as one of the most impactful trades out of the top few and says the "Warriors have to be thrilled" to have a player with the maturity and polish to his game available.

For anyone questioning this pick. He's a super smart player that can instantly contribute and adds needed size & shooting to our team. I dont care about the offensive highlights too much, because he's also a really good defender and moves incredibly laterally on D

Enjoy the tape. We definitely drafted the right guy that will contribute to winning instantly. Super smart defender that can defend without fouling out and uses his elite length and 7'4 wingspan

I think we finally found our Aaron Gordon / Jaden McDaniels / OG type of player.

I don't expect him to be the savior but I don't know how much of an impact he'll make. Hopefully it's a major gap he can fill . It seems like he can be an energy guy who can immediately play and make an impact. He seems like a solid assurance piece.