The Golden State Warriors are still days away from their preseason opener against the L.A. Clippers, but exciting lottery pick Yaxel Lendeborg is already firming for a starting role after impressing early in training camp.
Things are already falling into place for Lendeborg to be a starter, having "won over" head coach Steve Kerr and veteran duo Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, according to ESPN's Anthony Slater.
Yaxel Lendeborg appears bound for starting role with Warriors
The hype surrounding Lendeborg certainly hasn't slowed after the 11th overall pick claimed Summer League MVP and led the Warriors to the championship in July. Jimmy Butler spoke glowingly of Lendeborg and his winning mentality at media day on Monday, while Curry has also been left impressed by the 24-year-old early on.
It's not just Lendeborg though who's improving his own chances of walking into a starting role entering his rookie year. Another health issue for Kristaps Porzingis only serves to solidify a starting role for Lendeborg, with Kerr and Golden State potentially going smaller if the Latvian big man isn't available come opening night against the Los Angeles Lakers next month.
Porzingis certainly won't be available for the preseason opener against the Clippers on Sunday. It's not hard to envision the Warriors going smaller and trying to run L.A. off their feet if Brook Lopez is at center, not that winning the game is the number one priority.
Getting the right rotations and combinations will be a priority for Kerr and the coaching staff, but that's the beauty of Lendeborg. His combination of size and skillset should make him one of the more versatile players on the Golden State roster, and therefore place him in a number of different lineup combinations.
Warriors need instant Yaxel Lendeborg impact to raise optimism
There's also an excitement factor that the Warriors need to lean on when it comes to Lendeborg, and one that could influence his immediate move into a starting role. After an underwhelming offseason characterized by missing out on LeBron James and other big name targets, Golden State need a breath of optimism to kickstart their season.
Given Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are sidelined, and Porzingis is now also absent due to illness, the Warriors need Lendeborg to provide some life to a franchise that currently casts a fairly pessimistic outlook.
Lendeborg will get a major opportunity to do that regardless of starting or not, but there might be something extra special about Golden State's newest prized asset opening games with their greatest ever player.
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