{"id":3095,"date":"2026-06-26T20:41:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T20:41:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3095"},"modified":"2026-06-26T20:41:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T20:41:04","slug":"for-lendeborgs-being-drafted-by-warriors-is-dream-come-true","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3095","title":{"rendered":"For Lendeborgs, being drafted by Warriors is “dream come true”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SAN FRANCISCO \u2013 While answering questions about Steph Curry, Steve Kerr and the Warriors, the organization\u2019s newest first-round draft pick Yaxel Lendeborg repeatedly flashed a wide smile.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sitting a few feet away in the first row of the news conference at Chase Center on Friday, his mother beamed with pride.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a dream come true,\u201d Yissel Raposo said. \u201cWhen he was little, I asked him too many times, \u2018What do you want to do when you grow up?\u2019 And he\u2019d say the NBA. So it\u2019s a dream come true for us and for Yaxel too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Making his mother, who is battling cancer, proud has been a driving force for Lendeborg during his journey to being the No. 11 pick in the NBA draft.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThose moments are why I have become so mentally strong, and I always am grateful in every room I walk in, no matter the circumstances,\u201d Lendeborg said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The room Lendeborg is now walking in has him positioned as the heir apparent to two future Hall of Famers, including one that is right next to him in the locker room.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey put my locker right next to Steph\u2019s,\u201d Lendeborg said. \u201cI know we\u2019ve got a lot of work to do to become best friends and all, but I\u2019m definitely excited. I\u2019m going to be able to learn as much as I can from him. Hopefully some of his shooting can rub off on me, and we can go a long way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lendeborg, 23, might have made waves on draft night with his comments about being both a Kyrie Irving fan and a onetime Curry hater, but he said Curry welcomed him to the team in a group chat with himself and Draymond Green.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sitting next to the Warriors\u2019 second-round pick, Lajae Jones, Lendeborg laid out a logical roadmap for being successful and fitting into the Warriors\u2019 veteran locker room.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel like all we have to do is go in there, ask a lot of questions, be ourselves, and just learn as much as we can so we can have a successful long journey, as well,\u201d said Lendeborg, who was born in Puerto Rico but grew up in New Jersey.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Though Lendeborg said he is not the most enthusiastic screener, he noted that as a part of his game he will have to \u201clearn to love\u201d if he is to get consistent minutes under Kerr.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more When a rip current sucks you out to sea, try not to panic<\/a><\/p>\n

At 240 pounds, Lendeborg saw himself as a big wing and power forward, but seemed hesitant to envision himself as a five-man.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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On Michigan\u2019s national championship-winning team, Lendeborg played almost-exclusively forward, as fellow lottery picks Morez Johnson and Aday Mara slotted in at center.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But while Lendeborg will be asked to take on minutes on the wing as Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody are expected to miss most of next season with knee injuries, taking a shift or two at center could be something he will reluctantly have to do.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCenter, I don\u2019t think so much,\u201d Lendeborg said. \u201cI\u2019ve got to get a little tougher. Small forward, I definitely feel like will be the easiest position to develop at or flow into, but I\u2019m willing to do whatever the team needs. If they need a small-ball five who can stretch the floor out, then I\u2019ll be able to use that against bigger defenders and slower defenders.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Jones, who was picked No. 54 overall, is best known for making 3-pointers at Florida State last season, and before that, St. Bonaventure. But when asked about his skillset, the 6-foot-7 wing pointed the attention toward the less-glamorous aspects of the game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI can just set a lot of barely legal screens to get my teammates open,\u201d Jones said. \u201cI feel like my most underrated part of my game is my passing. It might not lead to assists, but it\u2019ll lead to a good shot, as well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After fielding questions, both rookies posed with their new jerseys. Lendeborg will wear No. 1, and Jones will don No. 25.<\/p>\n

Both players are expected to play in Summer League, which begins on July 3 and runs to July 6 at Chase Center and then continues in Las Vegas from July 9-19.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Summer League opportunity for these guys, both here at the Cali Classic and in Vegas, you get seven, eight, nine games under your belt, which is fantastic,\u201d Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy said. \u201cThey\u2019ll get their first taste of professional basketball, get a little bit of a feel how we do things and then get a break before training camp starts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Firefighters battling grass fire on Communications Hill in San Jose<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Warriors introduces draft picks Yaxel Lendeborg and Lajae Jones at Chase Center<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3094,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nFor Lendeborgs, being drafted by Warriors is “dream come true” - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3095\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"For Lendeborgs, being drafted by Warriors is “dream come true” - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Warriors introduces draft picks Yaxel Lendeborg and Lajae Jones at Chase Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=3095\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-26T20:41:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3095#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3095\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"For Lendeborgs, being drafted by Warriors is “dream come true”\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-26T20:41:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3095\"},\"wordCount\":810,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3095#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/b0facc5f5c1d0c070060deb5246d6421.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Sports\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3095#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3095\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=3095\",\"name\":\"For Lendeborgs, being drafted by Warriors is “dream come true” - 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