The Golden State Warriors got their guy with Yaxel Lendeborg. Well, at least some members of the franchise did. Head coach Steve Kerr should be happy with the pick because Lendeborg will be a fresh infusion of youth for a team that badly needs it, while also being experienced after playing six collegiate seasons.
Yet owner Joe Lacob probably isn’t quite as happy because Lendeborg is not the type of draft prospect he’s typically fallen for in the past. Lacob seemed to be upset about the pick in Golden State’s war room, although general manager Mike Dunleavy tried to downplay it afterwards.
If Lacob didn't get his guy, that means the Warriors won
Dunleavy claimed that Lacob was simply impatient and wanted to get the Lendeborg pick in as soon as possible, but we know that the GM hasn’t exactly always been entirely honest with the media. Remember at the trade deadline last season when he claimed the Warriors didn't entertain trading Draymond Green, even though Green himself said Dunleavy told him it was a possibility?
The general manager is not exactly a reliable narrator, meaning it would not come as a shock if it came out eventually that Lacob wasn’t too thrilled with the Lendeborg pick.
In the past, Lacob has usually really liked younger draft prospects with a higher potential ceiling. Jonathan Kuminga is the most famous example of this and the Warriors went with him rather than Franz Wagner who was Kerr’s preferred choice.
We all know how that Kuminga pick turned out and Lacob has proven that while he has many positive traits as an owner, player evaluation is not one of them.
That’s why it's a win for the Warriors if Lacob doesn’t like the pick. As long as Kerr is happy, that is going to be what's best for the team, at least in the short-term. There won’t be any trying to make a square peg fit in a round hole like there was with Kuminga. Instead, Lendeborg should fit into Golden State’s offensive identity quite seamlessly.
This pick doesn’t make the Warriors contenders by any stretch, but it at least shows they have some kind of plan moving forward. They know a championship is not a realistic goal anymore, but Kerr came back because he wants to lay a solid foundation for what comes next with the team.
The Lendeborg pick allows him to do that and while Lacob obviously has loftier aspirations, he’s proven that when he gets too involved in the draft process and gets who he wants, it usually leads to an underwhelming and unfavorable result.
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