The biggest knock on Yaxel Lendeborg heading into last month's NBA Draft was his age, with the Golden State Warriors lottery pick set to be 24-years-old by opening night next season.
But after an impressive summer league where he led the Warriors to a championship and was named MVP of the tournament, the age issue with Lendeborg is actually set to be a major advantage for the franchise in today's NBA landscape.
Yaxel Lendeborg's age gives Warriors a major advantage
Summer league proved that Lendeborg is not only ready to step into a 20-25 minute per game role with Golden State next season, but that he could actually be a legitimate starter given Jimmy Butler's injury and depending on how the front office rounds out the rest of the roster.
Having a rookie who can step in and become a legitimate starter on a veteran team from day one is valuable enough, but it's even more so in today's NBA with the tax aprons and the need for front office's to be diligent with every dollar they spend.
This is where having an older rookie is actually a major advantage even if it was a pre-draft concern. The Warriors are set to get immense value out of Lendeborg while he's on a four-year, $28.1 million contract, especially compared to someone three or four years younger who might take a year or two (or three) before making any major impact.
Golden State didn't get a whole lot out of their three most recent most-recent lottery picks while on their rookie contracts. Jonathan Kuminga's role was up-and-down and there still remains a question mark on his ability to impact winning as he remains a free agent this offseason, and Moses Moody didn't really come into his own until after he signed a three-year, $37.5 million rookie extension. Former second overall pick James Wiseman, meanwhile, didn't even make it through the third of his four-year rookie deal with the Warriors.
Warriors must have taken financial aspect into account with lottery pick
After Brayden Burries was taken 10th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State may have flirted with taking 19-year-old Nate Ament with the 11th pick as a high upside prospect in the almost complete opposite mould to Lendeborg.
The financial aspect of having a young player on a cost-controlled contract who can contribute to a veteran team straight away must have been a major factor, particularly after what the Warriors went through with Wiseman, Kuminga and to a lesser extent Moody.
Having one or more of your best players on cheap rookie contracts is invaluable and allows teams to take risks elsewhere. For example, the San Antonio Spurs can get away with overpaying De'Aaron Fox and still be a contender because Victor Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper are all on rookie deals.
That's not to say Lendeborg will become anywhere near as good as that trio or that the front office should act recklessly elsewhere, but his summer league form does suggest the Warriors have got a major win and a key advantage in their roster building.
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