If there wasn't already enough pressure on Yaxel Lendeborg, veteran forward Draymond Green has piled even more on ahead of the NBA debut for the Golden State Warriors rookie on Wednesday night.
Green has declared Lendeborg the next face of the franchise after Stephen Curry, claiming Lendeborg has the game and personality to take the keys once the two-time MVP eventually retires.
Yaxel Lendeborg piles even more pressure on Yaxel Lendeborg
The Warriors have had their fair share of young players in recent years who they'd hoped would become franchise stars. James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga headlined that group as former top 10 picks, only they never panned out to becoming even long-term players let alone stars.
But with those two, along with current fourth-year guard Brandin Podziemski, Green was never this definitive. Sure he and others may have discussed the idea of young players eventually taking over, but not to such a specific extent.
Speaking on his podcast with Taylor Rooks, Green also picked Lendeborg to win Rookie of the Year which is saying a lot given the rich class of prospects that includes top four picks AJ Dybansta, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer and Caleb Wilson.
Draymond and Taylor Rooks discuss why Yaxel Lendeborg is the next face of the franchise for the Warriors
— The Draymond Green Show (@DraymondShow) October 20, 2026
"The Golden State Warriors has found the next face of the franchise... we're gonna talk Rookie of the Year next, that's my pick... we had open practice, we do the singing,… pic.twitter.com/lbLHn4H4bW
Lendeborg couldn't have been any more impressive since arriving to the Warriors as the 11th overall pick in June's NBA Draft. The 6'9" forward won Summer League MVP and led Golden State to the championship in Las Vegas, making big plays down the stretch in the fourth-quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Already coming in with high expectations, Lendeborg managed to exceed those in an exciting preseason display. The 24-year-old led the Warriors in scoring at 15.6 per game on 56.7% shooting from the floor and 43.8% from 3-point range, while also adding 7.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals.
Yaxel Lendeborg enters debut game with major pressure
It's hard to recall a Warrior rookie who faced so much pressure ahead of their debut. Even with the likes of Wiseman and Kuminga, they were viewed as raw, longer term prospects who weren't going to necessarily impact winning right away.
Golden State hope that Lendeborg doesn't only help them as a rotation player, but that he's effectively their second-best piece, particularly offensively, while Jimmy Butler and Kristaps Porzingis remain on the sidelines.
Throw in the context of Lendeborg being the most exciting aspect of a team facing some pessimism, and Green's comments on Tuesday, and you have a tough situation for him to step into. Fortunately for the Warriors, Lendeborg appears like he's ready to step up to the pressure.
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