Steve Kerr has spoken recently about his desire for the Golden State Warriors to get younger and have more availability on next season's roster, but it's unlikely he would have wanted to go through another James Wiseman/Jonathan Kuminga situation.
The Warriors have granted Kerr's wish by drafting Yaxel Lendeborg with the 11th overall pick on Tuesday night, giving the head coach a young, athletic forward who will be 24 by the time opening night rolls around.
Warriors grant Steve Kerr's wish by drafting Yaxel Lendeborg
Golden State used two incredibly valuable lottery picks on Wiseman and Kuminga, only for Kerr to never fully trust the pair consistently, particularly when it came to the latter who spent nearly five full seasons at the franchise.
Wiseman and Kuminga were younger prospects who were seen to have sky-high potential, which is exactly what made them enticing to the Warriors as owner Joe Lacob considered the future beyond Stephen Curry.
That proved a problem though given Curry was still in his prime and Kerr was trying to lead a championship contender. Wiseman's injury issues didn't help matters, and Kuminga's time at the franchise was plagued by an inconsistent role.
There should be no such issues with Lendeborg who is, rather ironically, six days older than Kuminga despite being drafted five years later. Not only is he an older prospect, but Lendeborg is a proven winner who just led the Michigan Wolverines to the NCAA championship.
With Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody facing long-term injuries and starting next season on the sidelines, there's already a clear avenue to Lendeborg getting minutes in a way that Kuminga never could.
Steve Kerr has shown recent trust in older prospects
Kerr might have had an issue delivering regular playing time to Wiseman, Kuminga and even Moody earlier in his career, but he hasn't showed the same hesitancy when it's come to older prospects in recent years.
Trayce Jackson-Davis entered as a 23-year-old and averaged nearly 17 minutes per game, while the same can be said for Quinten Post in his rookie year. Will Richard averaged 20 minutes and made 21 starts this past season as a 22-year-old also coming off a national championship.
Lendeborg is in a different stratosphere in terms of prospect than those three players, but he shares the similarity of being an older prospect that Kerr will assuredly have no issue with utilizing in the rotation early next season.
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