The Golden State Warriors have good reason to believe they can slot Yaxel Lendeborg into an instant impact type of role in their rotation. The 23-year-old incoming rookie has a well-rounded skill set, a strong physical profile, and a proven history as a winner that suggests he's ready to play a role.
Though Lendeborg's potential as a plug-and-play rookie is intriguing, the Warriors can't repeat the mistakes they made with Jonathan Kuminga and limit his growth as a player.
Yes, Lendeborg will turn 24 before the 2025-26 regular season and has therefore been labeled as a player with limited upside. As NBA players sustain a high level of play deeper into their 30s than ever before, however, Golden State can't allow itself to buy the hype that Lendeborg is devoid of untapped potential.
Instead, it must treat him as a player who can certainly fill a pivotal role on both ends of the floor, but also needs to be given opportunities to explore his upside outside of supporting the stars.
That's the mistake Golden State made with Kuminga. It tasked him with playing in a system that revolved around Stephen Curry and all but exclusively catered to his and the other stars' needs. That's an admittedly inevitable development to some degree, but depriving a young player of the opportunities they need to develop their primary skills is detrimental to their growth.
Though Lendeborg may be viewed as having less upside than Kuminga, who was drafted at 19, the same logic still applies. Golden State must give him a chance to play outside of his role.
Yaxel Lendeborg needs room for growth, not just a complementary role
Lendeborg is a committed defender, an excellent rebounder, a skilled passer, and an effective shooter. That puts him in an ideal position to learn from Draymond Green, assuming he re-signs, and carve out a role either behind or alongside him that strengthens Golden State's interior.
Lendeborg is also a force in transition, however, and a capable straight-line finisher and scorer whose limitations should be tested with reasonable volume.
Perhaps Lendeborg will max out as a role player who can complement the stars but struggles to generate his own offense. Making that assumption before he has a chance to prove whether or not it's true simply wouldn't give the Warriors a chance to see how good he can become.
Yes, complementing the stars is the top priority—especially with an aging core—but making life easier for them should be just as important to the coaching staff.
Setting screens, defending well, spacing the floor, and crashing the boards all achieve that job, of course, but there's more to it. Finding players who can generate offense and positioning them to do so means putting less pressure on Curry to create—thus making it easier for him to pace himself through games and the season at large.
Lendeborg may ultimately prove to have limitations, but the Warriors' refusal to give Kuminga the green light is a mistake they should learn from if they hope to maximize their rookie's potential.
Add us as a preferred source on Google