As much as it's been an underwhelming offseason for the Golden State Warriors, it's hard to envision a more dream start for rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg after he was selected 11th overall at June's NBA Draft.
Lendeborg has not only ingratiated himself to Warrior fans with his impressive summer league performance where he led the team to a championship and won MVP, but also through his sheer public honesty which may get him in trouble some time down the road, yet for now is an endearing quality.
The dream start hasn't stopped for Lendeborg leading into training camp and preseason, with the aforementioned underwhelming offseason and a lack of major roster moves giving him an open pathway to a significant role from opening night.
Yaxel Lendeborg's dream Warriors start isn't over
As much as the young forward may have been pitching for a LeBron James move to Golden State in free agency, there's little doubt that Lendeborg would have been one of the the players most negatively effected when it came to role and playing time had the 41-year-old chose the Warriors over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Not only did the Warriors miss out on James, but they've done literally nothing when it comes to acquiring a rival player via trade or free agency. That's certainly drawn criticism among fans and analysts, but it's great news for Lendeborg as he looks to make an impact from day one.
There's no James or any other free agency addition to act as an obstacle in Lendeborg's path, and the return of injury-prone veterans Al Horford, Kristaps Porzingis and De'Anthony Melton only further elevates the chances of the 23-year-old playing big minutes throughout a long regular season.
It's a dream situation for Lendeborg to walk into after leading Michigan to the NCAA Championship earlier in the year. It's also not one he should be taking for granted given Golden State's recent history with lottery picks.
Yaxel Lendeborg will have clear role from opening night
It's not necessarily a fait accompli that Lendeborg will be a starter from opening night against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 21, albeit that's a strong possibility based on his summer league form and the fact he'll be 24-years-old.
But even if he's not starting, there's still a clear three-forward combination with he, Draymond Green and Gui Santos that suggests Lendeborg will walk into a 20+ minute per game role barring an unforeseen circumstance from this point on.
The Warriors desperately need Lendeborg to make an impact right away which, while it may add some pressure, gives him the opportunity any lottery pick should desire entering the league.
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