Photo: Golden State Warriors/YouTube

Yaxel Lendeborg is not entering the NBA with individual awards as his primary target. The Golden State Warriors rookie wants to adjust to the league, represent himself well and become a player young fans can follow.

“Try to slow the game down. I don’t really have any like MVP kind of things. I just want to be a role model to the kids, I wanna be somebody that the kids look up to and wanna be like…try to be as simple as possible,” Lendeborg said when discussing his rookie-year goals.

Golden State selected Lendeborg with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, adding a 6-foot-9 forward who helped Michigan win the NCAA championship. The Warriors viewed him as a player capable of contributing immediately because of his versatility, physical profile and experience.

Lendeborg spent three college seasons at UAB before transferring to Michigan for his final year. Across 112 career college games, he averaged 15.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 31.3 minutes per game while shooting 51.7% from the field, 36.4% from three-point range and 79.2% from the free-throw line.

His best statistical season came at UAB in 2024-25, when he averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists over 37 games. After moving to Michigan, he adjusted his offensive role while becoming a more efficient perimeter threat, averaging 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists with a career-best 37.2% three-point shooting mark.

Lendeborg continued showing his all-around skill during Summer League action. In three games, he averaged 16.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 27.1 minutes per game while shooting 48.7% from the field and 42.9% from three-point range.

The Warriors will enter the 2026-27 season trying to maximize the remaining championship window of Stephen Curry, who averaged 26.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds in 43 games during the 2025-26 season. Golden State finished 37-45 and earned the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference, making immediate contributions from young players increasingly important.

Lendeborg joins a roster that includes Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford. With Golden State balancing veteran contracts and salary-cap limitations, the rookie forward could have an opportunity to earn rotation minutes early if he provides defensive versatility, rebounding and efficient scoring.

The Warriors also selected guard LaJae Jones with the No. 54 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. However, Lendeborg is the team’s top first-round investment and the prospect expected to have the clearest path toward an NBA role.