Draymond Green has come off the bench in all but seven games over the past 11 NBA seasons, but Yaxel Lendeborg's early impression is giving the Golden State Warriors a problem when it comes to the veteran forward's role going forward.
Lendeborg couldn't have been more impressive across his first two outings in Summer League, averaging 15 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.0 steal on 58.9% shooting from the floor and an absurd 77.8% from 3-point range.
While it's only two games at the Californica Classic, combine his play with the obvious decline we saw from Green last season, and you have to wonder how long the 36-year-old will remain as a starter over Lendeborg.
Yaxel Lendeborg is already leaving Warriors with Draymond Green problem
The good news for Green (and the Warriors) is that Lendeborg is already demonstrating a versatile skillset -- particularly offensively with his shooting and ball-handling/playmaking -- to suggest he can play the three rather than the four as his near 6'10" size would suggest in the modern NBA.
But even if Lendeborg slotted into the starting lineup alongside Green, where does that leave Gui Santos who had an incredibly impressive finish to last season, and who would stake his own claim to a starting role?
Three players don't fit into two starting forward roles, and this is before even considering other options as Golden State finalize their roster, including trying to lure superstar forward LeBron James and also his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate in Rui Hachimura.
After years where Jonathan Kuminga threatened but never truly took hold of Green's grip on the starting power forward role, it could be Lendeborg who finally forces Steve Kerr into making a notable lineup change.
Warriors still have tough decision to make with Draymond Green
Many fans would claim that Green should have been removed from the starting lineup last season, and that placing him into a bench role going forward is what's best for both he and more importantly the team.
The first problem with this is Kerr still needs to utilize the chemistry between Green and Stephen Curry for the former to prove effective, and that's going to be more difficult to accomplish if they're split up from the opening tip.
Secondly, depending on what happens with James and other potential free agency moves, Green could still be back with the Warriors on a new contract that exceeds $20 million and remains starter-level money.
Despite the 4x champion opting out of his contract, there's no indication that Green will be anywhere but the Warriors next season. In what role and how many minutes he plays, that's a question Kerr and the coaching staff will have to figure out.
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