More Golden State Warriors pages
Yaxel Lendeborg, Golden State, and Michigan’s Historic Lottery Night
Golden State picked 11th in the 2026 draft and landed in the middle of the night’s best story — Michigan putting three players in the lottery for the first time in school history.
Yaxel Lendeborg, F — No. 11 overall, Michigan
The player. Lendeborg went 11th, sandwiched between two Michigan teammates: Morez Johnson Jr. to Dallas at 9 and Aday Mara to Oklahoma City at 12. Three lottery picks from one program in four selections is the kind of run that reshapes how a college roster gets remembered.
For Golden State, the appeal is a forward who spent a season in a program that produced NBA-ready players across positions — usually a signal that the habits are already installed.
The situation. This is what makes the pick genuinely interesting. The Warriors are in the closing stretch of the Stephen Curry era, and how those final seasons look depends heavily on whether the young players around him can contribute now rather than later. Golden State spent the offseason rounding out the roster with veterans on minimum deals — Georges Niang and reserve guard Brandon Williams among them — which is a roster shape that leaves room for a lottery pick to earn real minutes.
Playing time projection. Rotation from opening night, with the ceiling set by how quickly he defends at NBA speed.
Lajae Jones, G — No. 54, Florida State
Acquired through a chain of trades from the Lakers via Toronto, Miami and Cleveland. A deep second-rounder on a roster that isn’t short of guards.
Playing time projection. Camp battle, two-way candidate.
Three others worth following
Darryn Peterson, G — Utah Jazz (No. 2). The Western Conference’s most likely Rookie of the Year, and a player Golden State will see regularly. Peterson averaged 20.7 points and four assists across five Summer League games, and an ESPN panel picked him over AJ Dybantsa as the rookie with the fastest route to superstardom. Utah surrounded him with Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Keyonte George, so he won’t have to carry the offense.
Morez Johnson Jr., F — Dallas Mavericks (No. 9). Lendeborg’s Michigan teammate, taken two picks earlier, and the one with the cleanest landing spot — Johnson reconnects with Dusty May in Dallas, which should compress his adjustment period. A useful benchmark for judging Lendeborg’s first season.
AJ Dybantsa, F — Washington Wizards (No. 1). The class headliner. He tied the record for a No. 1 pick with 27 points in his Summer League debut, primarily on shots he created off the dribble, and projects as a 20-point-per-game scorer from opening night. The open question is his jump shot; everything else is close to NBA-ready.
The context that shapes the season
Golden State’s draft was a single meaningful addition rather than a haul, which fits the franchise’s position. This isn’t a rebuild — it’s a team trying to make the most of the years it has left with a generational player, and lottery picks in that situation are judged on whether they help now.
Lendeborg doesn’t need to become a star. He needs to be playable in a rotation with championship expectations attached to it.
How we’ll know
The Michigan comparison is the season’s built-in measuring stick. Johnson in Dallas, Mara in Oklahoma City and Lendeborg in Golden State all arrived from the same locker room within four picks of each other. Three different franchises, three different situations, one shared starting point.
By April, that trio will tell you something about how much college context actually travels.
Bay Area Sports Wire covers Warriors news, schedules and game coverage all season. See the Warriors schedule for tip-off times and broadcast info.