The high school class of 2020 was widely seen as one of the most talented groups in years. Jalen Green, Terrence Clarke and Josh Christopher became familiar names as teenagers, with highlight videos inviting comparisons to Kobe Bryant and other elite scorers. Jalen Suggs excelled in both basketball and football before choosing hoops over an Ohio State scholarship. Scottie Barnes and Evan Mobley stood out for their length and defensive ability, while Cade Cunningham climbed to the top of the rankings after a strong run on the EYBL circuit.
Yaxel Lendeborg was part of that class, too. But while his peers were appearing in magazines and winning medals overseas, he hadn’t yet played organized basketball. Poor grades kept him off the court in his hometown of Pennsauken, New Jersey, and video games held more appeal than school or planning for the future. His talent might have gone unnoticed altogether if an Arizona junior college hadn’t offered him its final scholarship during the shortened Covid season, after he impressed at a showcase for Dominican players.
Less than six years later, the 24-year-old is already playing like a potential NBA star in his first season with the Golden State Warriors. His path from Arizona Western College to UAB, Michigan and, eventually, Stephen Curry’s team is unusual. It also offers a glimpse of how player evaluation is shifting as college basketball and the NBA change. Lendeborg is an outlier, certainly, but his rise came through steady development—and teams could learn from it.
His start to the season has been remarkable. Over his first seven games, Lendeborg is averaging 22.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists while shooting 64.5 percent in true shooting percentage. His 37-point performance against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday put his range of skills on display. He used his strength to score in the paint against the slimmer Derrick Jones Jr., then knocked down a pull-up three when Brook Lopez dropped back to defend a pick-and-roll. Lendeborg attacked downhill with impressive control, took advantage of Darius Garland on switches and showed a polished midrange game against a similarly sized defender, Kobe Sanders.
That kind of immediate impact is rare for a rookie. Then again, Lendeborg’s journey to the NBA has been anything but typical.
Golden State selected him 11th overall this year, though the team had reportedly been keen on Brayden Burries, who went to Milwaukee one pick earlier. Lendeborg’s former college coach, Dusty May, also saw another Michigan player, Morez Johnson, selected ahead of him at No. 9 by Dallas.
It would have been easy to look at Lendeborg’s age and assume his potential was limited. That argument never quite fit. His age did make him an unusual prospect, but it wasn’t especially difficult to see what he might become once his development was considered on its own terms.
At UAB, after transferring from junior college, Lendeborg began as a rebounding big man who created extra possessions and protected the rim. In his second season, he showed he could handle the ball and use the attention drawn by his scoring to set up teammates. He also doubled his three-point makes from the year before. As his offensive game expanded, he earned American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors while playing mostly at center.
He could have entered the NBA draft after that season, but after testing the process at the combine, Lendeborg chose a major name, image and likeness deal to transfer to Michigan. During the Wolverines’ March Madness run, he explained that NBA scouts wanted to see him take more threes and show greater defensive versatility. He understood he might not be a primary scorer in the league, but could instead contribute alongside a star by defending and filling the role the team needed.
Michigan’s unusual roster helped put him in that role. May played three college centers together, each of whom could have been the focal point of a different team. Lendeborg’s adaptability made the arrangement work. For the first time, he spent extended stretches on the perimeter, where he showed he could shoot threes in volume, defend away from the basket and keep the offense moving with smart passes—all without losing his physical edge.
He showed he was willing to adjust for the team, and didn’t need huge numbers to address the questions NBA scouts had raised. At 6-foot-8½ without shoes, 235 pounds and with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, he has the size to play center. He can rebound, set screens, space the floor and pass, while also using his strength to create efficient looks as an isolation scorer. His confidence and accuracy from the perimeter continued to grow.
There’s still a gap between Lendeborg’s best moments and consistent production. He has made only 25 percent of his pull-up threes through seven games, on 3.4 attempts per night. If that percentage rises even into the low 30s, his potential becomes difficult to gauge.
Teams often draft young forwards high because they have the frame, athleticism and background scouts prize. The hope is that, by their early twenties, they’ll become better shooters and passers without giving up their physical strengths. Lendeborg followed that development path at UAB and Michigan, making it all the more striking that he started playing organized basketball so late.
His progress also contrasts with that of Jonathan Kuminga, another former Warriors lottery pick from the high school class of 2020. Kuminga was viewed early on as a potential star scorer, rather than being asked to develop into a physical, winning role player. He hasn’t developed the ball skills or shooting touch Lendeborg is showing now. Lendeborg’s improvement shouldn’t have been dismissed simply because it happened in college rather than the NBA. In other respects, he was showing scouts the qualities they wanted.
Lendeborg and Cameron Boozer were the standout players in college basketball last season, with few others close to Lendeborg’s level. That was part of what made Boozer such a compelling choice for the top pick: he was playing at a similar level while being five years younger. There’s a long season ahead, but the two have also been among the strongest rookies so far.
Lendeborg demonstrated all the traits teams want from a role player, and the best role players can be more valuable than their star billing might suggest. His case could become more relevant as name, image and likeness deals keep talented players in college longer. Some of the leading prospects in future drafts may be older college players—or even 24-year-old rookies. Player development rarely follows a straight line, though teams can be slow to trust that when it matters. Lendeborg took his own route. Now he’s showing that a late start doesn’t rule out finishing near the front.
