What the Warriors 2026 First-Round Pick Has Shown Fans in Summer League
The summer league performances of Yaxel Lenderborg, before today’s final, have had both highlights and lowlights. After multiple analyst mock drafts predicted him to land in Golden State, the Warriors made a young man’s dream come true during the first evening of draft night. Lenderborg had to wait a little over two weeks to officially suit up for the white and gold, but he had a debut to remember. While we can lazily paint the Michigan alum’s summer league as the “typical rookie experience,” there are some specifics that are worth pointing out.
The 23-year-old forward has averaged 16.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists across 25.8 minutes in the five games he has taken part in. As mentioned before, Lenderborg got his tournament off to a hot start, scoring 21 points while adding 10 rebounds for a double-double and leading the Warriors to take down the Mavericks. He has shown great scoring versatility and shot particularly well from outside the arc for his size. However, this was somewhat to be expected. The scouting report on the reigning NCAA champion said that despite standing at six-foot-nine and weighing 240 pounds, he can also stretch the floor. That’s a crucial quality for any forward to have in Steve Kerr’s system, proven by the Warriors leading the league in three-point attempts last season.
Golden State has largely made it to this year’s summer league championship because of Lenderborg, but it hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. In the team’s 87-77 loss to the Knicks, he made just one field goal in nine attempts while playing above his minutes average. Another area of adjustment is taking care of the ball. Recording 3.2 turnovers per game and a 1.88 turnover/assist ratio won’t help an already mistake-prone team, especially over the stretch of a long season.
While there’s clear upside and more positive than negative takeaways, the time pressure for the versatile forward to become more polished is evident. Perhaps, though, this is exactly the tournament he needs. Start on a few promising moments, but also have some slap-on-the-wrist moments where flaws reveal themselves. That way, Lenderborg can walk out of his first professional competitive experience with confidence, but also film to know what he can improve.
