Al Horford's return to the Golden State Warriors on a two-year contract is a major win for the Golden State Warriors, having resisted the urge to enter free agency and consider departing the franchise after they failed to make the playoffs in his first season.
Horford's return will also have a significant impact on a number of teammates, including 11th overall pick Yaxel Lendeborg who now has the perfect on and off-court mentor with deep family ties.
Yaxel Lendeborg pick looks even better with Al Horford extension
It's hard to envision a better player and person for Lendeborg to learn from, setting up what could be a very promising rookie year for the 23-year-old which the Warriors will hope extends to an All-Star level career.
Horford and Lendeborg share Dominican descent, with the veteran center revealing after the announcement of his extension that their fathers played together on the national team during the 1990's.
"He's (Lendeborg) already NBA ready. He's a guy that has a big body that can score the ball, can get downhill, can put pressure on defenses. With him, with the guys we had last year, I expect that we should be in a pretty good place," Horford said to ESPN's Anthony Slater.
Who better to show Lendeborg the NBA ropes and understand what it takes to developing into a high quality player? Not only will Horford be excellent as a leader who can aid Lendeborg and other young players off the court, but just as importantly the skillsets of the two should complement perfectly and lend itself to them playing a lot together on the floor.
Yaxel Lendeborg and Al Horford could prove excellent frontcourt combo
Assuming Draymond Green and Kristaps Porzingis both return, which is appearing likely in the lead up to free agency, Lendeborg and Horford may start the season as the reserve four/five combination off the bench.
Lendeborg's ability in transition and downhill aggression towards the rim should mesh well with Horford's ability to space the floor, while they both have excellent defensive versatility which should fit just how Steve Kerr wants to play.
In fact, it wouldn't be any surprise at all if Lendeborg-Horford is actually Golden State's best frontcourt combination regularly next season, even if it means leaving Green and Porzingis on the bench late in games.
The Warriors got largely a tick of approval for the Lendeborg selection on Tuesday, and now it looks even better knowing his development will be aided by Horford over the next two years.
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