2026 NBA

Draft

Golden State Warriors select Yaxel Lendeborg with the No. 11 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft

Yaxel Lendeborg is a good athlete, fluid and plays with power. Eric Seals / Imagn Images

The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 NBA Draft.

The Golden State Warriors selected Yaxel Lendeborg with the No. 11 pick on Tuesday in the NBA Draft. Lendeborg averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the national champion Michigan Wolverines. Lendeborg now heads to the Bay Area to join a veteran squad.

“It’s a full-circle moment for me,” Lendeborg told reporters at Barclays Center after he was selected. “I’ve been saying this every time I get asked this question, 2016, I’m a big Kyrie guy, so I used to hate Steph Curry. So now that I’m actually going to be able to be on the same team with him, play and actually learn so much from him, it means a lot. I met him a couple times. He’s a very great guy, genuine person.

“It’s going to be an honor to be able to watch what he does in person. So I’m very excited.”

He’s a good athlete, as he’s fluid and plays with power. Lendeborg carries his 235-pound frame well while also being able to move laterally, and he has some lift vertically off one and two feet, though he’s not overly twitchy. He’s more of a power athlete than a quick one and looks the part of an NBA player.

He’s also a top defensive prospect: a multi-time defensive award winner in college, he did an amazing job this season of rounding out his defensive game and becoming a more versatile chess piece on defense. Michigan had no fear using him across the positional spectrum to guard one through five.

At times, he would pressure point guards from 60 feet away while they brought the ball up the court. At other times, he would slide down and guard on the block. NBA coaching staffs will be excited to devise different ways to use Lendeborg on that end, as he seemed to embrace turning into a defensive stopper.

Lendeborg profiles a lot better in an off-ball role than a primary role, as there isn’t a lot of craft or nuance to his gathers or ballhandling. He’s a powerful player and has the tools to be a power player even at the NBA level, given his strength, length and shooting ability. It’s all pretty straightforward and based on power in a way that I’m not sure will translate to separating regularly from his man in the NBA, unless a teammate or a ball screen creates an advantage for him.

John Hollinger’s instant 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 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-

Sam Vecenie’s draft guide summary

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-Defense, but I don’t think I can completely rule it out if he really decides he wants to be a stopper.

Then, on offense, he has a very versatile skill set that should translate exceedingly well to playing off other stars. I loved the way he slotted into the team concept at Michigan and didn’t make it 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.

There’s a chance he ends up peaking as a top-50 or so player in the league because of his two-way play. And the best part is that the team that selects him will get significant value on his rookie-scale deal because of how ready he is to enter the NBA.

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.

Versatile two-way forward who is older but possesses elite tools and winning mindset.

Read full profile ›

Hollinger’s pre-draft analysis

An athletic forward whose career trajectory likely will land somewhere between James Johnson and Jalen Johnson, Lendeborg is a draft anomaly as an ancient 23-year-old who nonetheless was so good that he should be a top-10 pick.

Lendeborg was arguably the best player in college basketball while leading Michigan to a national title, and a lot of what he did best should translate right away. He is a Day 1 defensive stopper who likely will be assigned to guard some of the best players in the league immediately. He can defend one through five and, when he’s not starting, might have a lot of use as a junk-ball center with second units.

Lendeborg is a fantastic rebounder who pushes in transition and creates havoc at the other end as a result. He makes good passes on the move and can handle the ball, and if you don’t stop him, he’s going to put you on a poster. Just check out his annihilation dunk against Saint Louis in the second round of the NCAA Tournament if you don’t believe me; he should get drafted on that play alone.

Lendeborg’s biggest weakness is an iffy 3-point shot and a limited one-on-one game in the half court, but he is so good in so many other areas that he will help a team even if he shoots 30 percent from 3. He might be quite a bit better, actually; he improved to 37.2 percent from 3 last season on fairly significant volume and made 80.5 percent from the line.

David Aldridge’s draft confidential

College assistant coach No. 3 (his team played Michigan): I thought he guarded the best (opposing) player, so I admire him for that. He guarded point guards, he guarded threes. You could switch with him. I think he’s a really good player. When he wasn’t banged up, down the stretch, he made 3s when they really needed him, and made his free throws when he needed them. I like him because he takes the challenge. However, he talks too much, but he’s a real talent.

Western Conference scout No. 1: The best player (at the Nike Academy last August) was Lendeborg. Could play every element of the game: move the ball, rebound the ball, shoot the ball and handle the ball. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do. Yaxel’s biggest issue is that he doesn’t have a star’s mentality. He’s the guy who relentlessly and ritualistically is looking to make the right play.

Whereas, your star player has to say, ‘You know, it’s the right play for me to swing it to that guy, but I’m better than him; I’m gonna take it.’ That’s what your star has to do. Yaxel’s not that guy. He’ll pass the ball to the 32 percent shooter and encourage him to throw up a shot, when Yaxel shoots (37) percent from 3.

Jun 24, 2026

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