All eyes remain fixed on the Golden State Warriors' pursuit of LeBron James as the 4x MVP plots his next move in free agency, but the focus will be turned away -- if only momentarily -- for the anticipated debut of 11th overall pick Yaxel Lendeborg.
Lendeborg and the Warriors will be in action on Friday night for the first game of the California Classic, taking on the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center starting at 7:30pm pacific time.
Warriors get welcome LeBron distraction with Yaxel Lendeborg debut
Lendeborg is Golden State's highest lottery pick since Jonathan Kuminga was taken seventh overall five years ago, offering fans an immense source of optimism after the team finished 10th in the Western Conference and failed to make the playoffs last season.
While it will be a nice distraction to get away from the ongoing James saga, the fact Lendeborg holds the nickname 'Dominican LeBron' and is going up against the 41-year-old's now former team in his debut won't be lost on anyone.
The already outspoken Lendeborg has been asked about the potential of playing with James amid free agency speculation, offering up a funny response to the prospect of the 4x MVP landing in the Bay Area.
“I’m excited to see how it plays out, you know. Hopefully I don’t get the back end of that and get traded,” Lendeborg said cheekily earlier in the week. “Hopefully I can stick around to see how that goes and learn from all the veterans that are gonna come in.”
From an on-court perspective, Lendeborg has already earned high praise from teammates ahead of his debut, having displayed his size and versatile, two-way skillset in practices earlier this week.
Warriors should have strong Summer League squad with notable players
As an older prospect coming off extensive college experience which included leading the Michigan Wolverines to the NCAA championship earlier this season, Lendeborg should be tailor-made to put up some big performances in Summer League.
But he's not the only notable name that will be in action for Golden State on Friday night, with Will Richard also in action after making 21 starts and averaging 20 minutes per game during his rookie season. Two-way contracted pair LJ Cryer and Malevy Leons are also on the team, along with 54th overall pick Lajae Jones.
The Warriors' two California Classic teams -- designated as 'Blue' and 'Gold' -- each have multiple games in the next few days, before the Las Vegas leg of Summer League starts against the Dallas Mavericks on July 9.
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