Darius Acuff Jr. looks like an exciting young player for the Sacramento Kings to build around going forward, but that hasn't stopped Ian Goodwillie of A Royal Pain suggesting that the franchise could regret passing on Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg.
Lendeborg continued his summer league dominance into an impressive preseason, including a massive performance against the Kings earlier in the month.
Yaxel Lendeborg gives Kings early reason for draft regret
Lendeborg has already emerged as arguably Golden State's second-best player while Jimmy Butler is out, as a Rookie of the Year contender entering the season, and as one of the early draft steals after falling to the 11th overall pick.
Teams were hesitant of Lendeborg's age, having already turned 24 before even making his NBA debut. That may prove an error in judgement, with the 6'9" forward already delivering instant impact while also possessing the kind of size and skillset that suggests he can develop into a star.
After watching Lendeborg go for a massive 23 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, two steals and a block on 10-of-14 shooting against the Kings in preseason, Goodwillie was left wondering whether the Kings may have made the wrong decision at the draft.
..."It's impossible for the Kings to watch Lendeborg play and not wonder what might have been had they chosen differently. Sacramento selected Acuff seventh while Golden State took Lendeborg 11th. That means the Kings had an opening to draft him if they wanted to," Goodwillie wrote.
Kings may not be the only team who may regret passing on Yaxel Lendeborg
The reality is that a host of teams could wind up regretting passing on Lendeborg, particularly given his rate of improvement over the past 24 months that's now stemmed to the start of his NBA career at summer league and in preseason.
The Milwaukee Bucks may have done the Warriors a favor by taking Brayden Burries who Mike Dunleavy Jr. and the front office were keen on, and so too the Dallas Mavericks who, with the influence of new head coach Dusty May, took Lendeborg's Michigan championship teammate Morez Johnson Jr. with the ninth pick.
Lendeborg has a recent history of proving doubters wrong and playing with a chip on his shoulder. While he was still a lottery pick and went around where he was projected pre-draft, Lendeborg will be determined to make front offices look back and wonder why they didn't take him in the top 10.
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