The Golden State Warriors took a bold move by selecting Yaxel Lendeborg with the No. 11 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, and the early returns are looking encouraging as well.
The rookie had an incredible NBA Summer League debut on Friday, earning glowing praise from the NBA community online.
Warriors Fans Hype Yaxel Lendeborg’s Electric Summer League Debut
Besides Lendeborg, Golden State’s Summer League squad also featured No. 54 overall pick Lajae Jones, along with Malevy Leons, Will Richard, and LJ Cryer, as the Warriors secured a 104-72 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
It was Lendeborg who stole the spotlight with a sensational performance.
He erupted for 11 points in the opening quarter, knocking down all four of his field-goal attempts, including three perfect shots from beyond the arc.
Yaxel Lendeborg is 4-4 from three in his first Summer League game.pic.twitter.com/xCRigNFAA5
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) July 4, 2026
Lendeborg finished the contest with 19 points on 6-of-6 shooting, 4-of-4 from 3-point range, while adding 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block.
His ability to push the pace in transition and make quick decisions with the ball immediately caught attention.
Some even began comparing Lendeborg’s skill set to James, who has been linked to the Warriors in free agency following his departure from the Los Angeles Lakers.
“Okay, maybe we don’t need bron [expletive],” a user posted.
Okay maybe we don’t need bron fawkkkk
— j (@squidslipss) July 4, 2026
“@KingJames u seeing this?” a user wrote.
The strong debut wasn’t entirely unexpected considering Lendeborg’s season at Michigan.
He averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.1 steals across 40 games while playing 30.2 minutes per contest.
Lendeborg also connected on 37.2% of his 3-point attempts in his last season with Michigan.
Prior to that, he shot 33.3% and 35.7% from deep during his two seasons at Alabama-Birmingham.
“yaxel got the highest floor in this draft class. Not ceiling but floor,” one user asserted.
yaxel got the highest floor in this draft class. Not ceiling but floor
— LEBANONBRON (@Illusionman34) July 4, 2026
If Lendeborg’s college production and Summer League opener are any indication, Warriors fans have plenty of reasons to be excited about his future in Golden State.
“Perfect start, guess the rookie’s shooting coach is a magician,” a user remarked.
Perfect start, guess the rookie’s shooting coach is a magician.
— dre.dom (@uYXgWGyQ626sPnY) July 4, 2026
“This young man came to play no joke. He is terrorizing the baby lake show right now,” another said.
Despite the impressive production, there were still areas for improvement. The 23-year-old occasionally lost track of defensive assignments and took unnecessary risks by gambling for steals.
Finishing with 4 turnovers, the Warriors’ rookie assessed his performance and said, “I would say probably like a B,” Lendeborg said. “I messed up a lot of defensive rotations. That’s kind of taken a while for me to get the rotations down.”
The buzz around his development is understandable, as Lendeborg is the franchise’s highest draft selection since Jonathan Kuminga was taken No. 7 overall in 2021.
