The Golden State Warriors needed a wing who could help them right now. Not in three years. Not in five. Now. So with the 11th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, they took the oldest player in the lottery — a 24-year-old former JUCO transfer named Yaxel Lendeborg who just helped Michigan cut down the nets.
Lendeborg averaged 15.1 points and 6.8 rebounds last season, shooting 51.5 percent from the floor and a respectable 37.3 percent from three. More than the numbers, though, is what he did in March: lock down multiple positions, make smart passes, and never look like the moment was too big. Michigan coach Dusty May put it simply: “Whatever this team needs, that’s what he wants to do.”
That mentality is exactly why the Warriors fell in love with him.
Fit in Golden State
The Warriors enter next season with a roster that’s old, brittle, and still trying to squeeze one more run out of Stephen Curry. Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are both expected to miss most of the 2025-26 season with lower-leg injuries. Golden State’s wing rotation was already thin. Now it’s basically a skeleton crew.
Lendeborg is 6’9″, 240 pounds with a 7’3″ wingspan. He can guard all five positions, moves his feet well, and has a motor that doesn’t stop. On offense, he’s a natural connector — the kind of player Steve Kerr loves. At Michigan they used him as a point forward to initiate the offense, and Lendeborg believes he can average five assists a game in the NBA.
“If I was here, I would be more like a secondary ball handler,” he said after his pre-draft workout with the Warriors. “I’m gonna go out there and show them better.”
The shooting is a work in progress. He hit 41 percent on unguarded catch-and-shoot threes but just 30.6 percent when guarded. Playing next to Curry should give him plenty of clean looks, but he’ll need to knock them down consistently.
The age question
This is the elephant in the room. Lendeborg was in the same high school class as Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley, both of whom have five NBA seasons under their belts. Taking a 24-year-old in the lottery is unusual, and it raises the obvious question: how much higher can his ceiling go?
The optimist’s view is that his path — JUCO to mid-major to blue blood — shows a player who keeps rising to meet tougher competition. Maybe his ceiling is higher than the typical older prospect. “Everybody’s path is different,” Lendeborg said. “Every time I get on the court, I’m gonna showcase that.”
The counterargument is that the Warriors will eventually need a star to carry the franchise after Curry, Draymond Green and Butler are gone. It’s hard to see Lendeborg becoming that guy. But that’s not why they drafted him. They drafted him to help now, and in that sense, this pick makes a lot of sense.
Grade: B+ — A smart, low-risk pick for a team that needs immediate help. The ceiling might be limited, but the floor is sturdy. And in Golden State’s current situation, that might be enough.
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