Four questions Warriors need to answer during summer league

SAN FRANCISCO — With the Warriors’ offseason revolving around whether or not LeBron James will choose to play in Golden State, it’s easy to forget that the NBA summer league has arrived.

In fact, Golden State has elected to field two separate teams for the first half of summer league, putting their top prospects on the “Gold” squad at Chase Center, while the junior varsity “Blue” team will travel to Sacramento.

And with summer league’s arrival comes a host of questions that involve more than just the wonder of how Warriors’ top rookie Yaxel Lendeborg will look against pro competition.

As the Warriors begin their three-game slate at San Francisco’s California Classic on Friday, and prepare for a four-game schedule in Las Vegas after that, here are four questions for the Warriors’ summer league team.

How many positions will Lendeborg play?

The Warriors’ first round pick is listed at 6-foot-9 and 241 pounds, which are the dimensions of a traditional power forward or center.

But on a roster as bereft of perimeter talent as the Warriors’ are, Lendeborg will often be asked to play on the wing. Or perhaps even in the backcourt for stretches?

Warriors summer league coach Khalid Robinson noted after the team’s first practice that Lendeborg got reps at each position, going from the post to behind the arc throughout the session.

“We’ve seen him bring the ball up the court to initiate offense, we’ve seen him playing as a four or five, and he’s played on the wing,” Robinson said.

Though he is expected to mostly toggle between the forward positions, summer league could be the perfect opportunity to see if Lendeborg’s 37.2% 3-point rate could allow him to be a two-guard in a super-sized lineup, or if he has the ability to guard fives.

At nearly 24 years old, Lendeborg is among the oldest rookies in the draft class and will be expected to make an immediate impact.

Is Lajae Jones a high-level shooter

When Lajae Jones has everything working, few rookies in the class can make 3-pointers at the volume he does. As a senior at Florida State, he once made 10 of 21 triples in a single game against Georgia Southern.

But for every excellent shooting display, there were even more 1 for 6, or 0 for 4 nights during a senior year in which Jones made just 32.5% of his shots from behind the arc.

The 22-year-old did make 38.9% of his 3-pointers as a junior at St. Bonaventure, so the question to be answered in summer league is this: Which version is the real Lajae Jones?

If he is to stick in the NBA, Jones will need to prove he can make 3-pointers at a decent rate, while also playing defense.

Can Will Richard and LJ Cryer break out in Year No. 2?

There are few more enjoyable summer league traditions than watching a second-year rotation player, armed with a full season of NBA experience and strength training, descending upon the July exhibition and putting up video game numbers against overmatched peers.

The Warriors’ two candidates to fill this role are guards Will Richard and LJ Cryer.

Richard told reporters he has “lived in the gym” after last season ended, and hopes that his added muscle helps him better deal with the grind of a long season.

Already a 33.5% shooter on 3-point attempts, the Warriors would likely be encouraged by seeing Richard be able to score at the rim with more frequency.

Summer league would also be a place he could show off an improved handle, a skillset the Warriors might tap into more often this season if — or when — the veterans miss games.

If there is any player on the roster that seems built for bucket-getting in summer league, though, it is Cryer.

The 6-1 guard is fully healthy after dealing with an ankle injury, and scored 8.2 points per game on 39.2% shooting from behind the arc. His role in the NBA will be as a reliable floor-spacer, so Cryer could put up some serious volume at both Chase Center and in Las Vegas.

Can the Warriors find another hidden gem?

Speaking of Cryer, the Houston product went from unheralded addition to the summer league roster to a rotation player in Golden State. Can the Warriors find another success story over the next few weeks?

Two possible candidates are 2025 draft picks Max Shulga and Lachlan Olbrich.

Shulga is a 6-4 guard who played 11 games for the Celtics last season after being the No. 57 pick in the 2025 draft. Olbrich is a 6-8 center who actually played in 37 games for the Bulls, starting two games. He averaged 2.4 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

Among this year’s undrafted rookies, Gonzaga center Graham Ike was rated as a draftable prospect by some outlets and has an NBA-ready frame.