Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan - 2026 NBA Draft - Lottery pick

[Rustyman]

Not taking Yaxel in the first round unless I am a contender with a specific gap he fills immediately and even then I am very hesitant.

Simply, he is 24. He has the body and maturity of a man. His competitors are 18-20 and half of them still have immature bodies.

For a first round guaranteed contract, I am taking someone with the potential to grow.

In the second round, I evaluate him against minimum contract players on my roster and if he is better than any of them, I take him, secure in the knowledge that if necessary I can cut him without any significant salary cap impact.

That is the brutal reality of the current NBA CBA.

[giberish]

Not taking Yaxel in the first round unless I am a contender with a specific gap he fills immediately and even then I am very hesitant.

Simply, he is 24. He has the body and maturity of a man. His competitors are 18-20 and half of them still have immature bodies.

For a first round guaranteed contract, I am taking someone with the potential to grow.

In the second round, I evaluate him against minimum contract players on my roster and if he is better than any of them, I take him, secure in the knowledge that if necessary I can cut him without any significant salary cap impact.

That is the brutal reality of the current NBA CBA.

Actually his age and maturity makes a better case for a 1st round pick. Even if you don't see upside you get 4 years on a low-salary contract for a guy who can be a quality rotation player for all 4 years. That's quite valuable. Obviously you're going to take higher upside options at the top of the draft but even this year the high-upside guys will be off the board well before the 1st round is over.

Granted I'm not that high on him due to age. He could easily go top-10 in a weaker draft like Edey did but he feels more like a 2nd 10 pick this draft.

[JMAC3]

I will probably move him down outside the top 20 at some point, just hard right now to know who to put ahead of him. Same with Haugh and Stirtz. The history for drafting seniors top 20 is pretty terrible.

[Rustyman]

Actually his age and maturity makes a better case for a 1st round pick. Even if you don't see upside you get 4 years on a low-salary contract for a guy who can be a quality rotation player for all 4 years. That's quite valuable. Obviously you're going to take higher upside options at the top of the draft but even this year the high-upside guys will be off the board well before the 1st round is over.

Granted I'm not that high on him due to age. He could easily go top-10 in a weaker draft like Edey did but he feels more like a 2nd 10 pick this draft.

As I indicated in my original post, I would take him in the first round if he fulfills an immediate specific role for my team, however, I would not pick him until the 20's if at all and the salary slot for that player would have to be less than $4m. Else, I will wait for the second round.

Once again, this is not an anti-Yaxel post, it is simply a rational assessment of the current state of the NBA.

Yaxel is highly unlikely to have the potential to improve significantly in the future due to his age and maxed out physical development. Therefore he has limited upside potential. My alternatives to a Yaxel are (1) a veteran with proven performance for $10m or less (2) a young rookie who might not have the same skillset immediately, but has the potential to grow.

I am always choosing (1) or (2) ahead of Yaxel unless I can get him for a value significantly below the veteran, i.e. under $4m. If I chose a veteran, I can sign him to a 1-2 year contract with the options all in the team's favor so no big problem if he busts. If it is a second rounder, I can cut him with minimal cost. If I am signing Yaxel as a first rounder, I am guaranteeing 2 years at least so I want my financial risk to be low.

[giberish]

Actually his age and maturity makes a better case for a 1st round pick. Even if you don't see upside you get 4 years on a low-salary contract for a guy who can be a quality rotation player for all 4 years. That's quite valuable. Obviously you're going to take higher upside options at the top of the draft but even this year the high-upside guys will be off the board well before the 1st round is over.

Granted I'm not that high on him due to age. He could easily go top-10 in a weaker draft like Edey did but he feels more like a 2nd 10 pick this draft.

As I indicated in my original post, I would take him in the first round if he fulfills an immediate specific role for my team, however, I would not pick him until the 20's if at all and the salary slot for that player would have to be less than $4m. Else, I will wait for the second round.

Once again, this is not an anti-Yaxel post, it is simply a rational assessment of the current state of the NBA.

Yaxel is highly unlikely to have the potential to improve significantly in the future due to his age and maxed out physical development. Therefore he has limited upside potential. My alternatives to a Yaxel are (1) a veteran with proven performance for $10m or less (2) a young rookie who might not have the same skillset immediately, but has the potential to grow.

I am always choosing (1) or (2) ahead of Yaxel unless I can get him for a value significantly below the veteran, i.e. under $4m. If I chose a veteran, I can sign him to a 1-2 year contract with the options all in the team's favor so no big problem if he busts. If it is a second rounder, I can cut him with minimal cost. If I am signing Yaxel as a first rounder, I am guaranteeing 2 years at least so I want my financial risk to be low.

He's almost certainly better immediately than a typical sub-$10M/yr vet. He walks in as a solid backup and most guys in the $5M and under are 3rd string at current salaries. There's even some chance that he could step up from his current level. Even if he's a year older than a typical senior there certainly have been guys who come in as seniors and develop significantly (such as Butler or Draymond).

[CptCrunch]

Actually his age and maturity makes a better case for a 1st round pick. Even if you don't see upside you get 4 years on a low-salary contract for a guy who can be a quality rotation player for all 4 years. That's quite valuable. Obviously you're going to take higher upside options at the top of the draft but even this year the high-upside guys will be off the board well before the 1st round is over.

Granted I'm not that high on him due to age. He could easily go top-10 in a weaker draft like Edey did but he feels more like a 2nd 10 pick this draft.

As I indicated in my original post, I would take him in the first round if he fulfills an immediate specific role for my team, however, I would not pick him until the 20's if at all and the salary slot for that player would have to be less than $4m. Else, I will wait for the second round.

Once again, this is not an anti-Yaxel post, it is simply a rational assessment of the current state of the NBA.

Yaxel is highly unlikely to have the potential to improve significantly in the future due to his age and maxed out physical development. Therefore he has limited upside potential. My alternatives to a Yaxel are (1) a veteran with proven performance for $10m or less (2) a young rookie who might not have the same skillset immediately, but has the potential to grow.

I am always choosing (1) or (2) ahead of Yaxel unless I can get him for a value significantly below the veteran, i.e. under $4m. If I chose a veteran, I can sign him to a 1-2 year contract with the options all in the team's favor so no big problem if he busts. If it is a second rounder, I can cut him with minimal cost. If I am signing Yaxel as a first rounder, I am guaranteeing 2 years at least so I want my financial risk to be low.

He's almost certainly better immediately than a typical sub-$10M/yr vet. He walks in as a solid backup and most guys in the $5M and under are 3rd string at current salaries. There's even some chance that he could step up from his current level. Even if he's a year older than a typical senior there certainly have been guys who come in as seniors and develop significantly (such as Butler or Draymond).

A 6th year senior is not certainly better than a NBA vet. That's the risk. If he is certainly better then he is a 10th pick type of player.

6th year in college jesus. Translation is a funny thing. If he translates, that's an instant role player worth 15-20m/year. If he doesn't, it's like a Johni Broome with better NBA skill set.

[Rustyman]

[
He's almost certainly better immediately than a typical sub-$10M/yr vet. He walks in as a solid backup and most guys in the $5M and under are 3rd string at current salaries. There's even some chance that he could step up from his current level. Even if he's a year older than a typical senior there certainly have been guys who come in as seniors and develop significantly (such as Butler or Draymond).

A 6th year senior is not certainly better than a NBA vet. That's the risk. If he is certainly better then he is a 10th pick type of player.

6th year in college jesus. Translation is a funny thing. If he translates, that's an instant role player worth 15-20m/year. If he doesn't, it's like a Johni Broome with better NBA skill set.

CptCrunch has just highlighted one of the most recent examples (Broome) of how physical and mental maturity in college can make a player look outstanding amongst his peers of 18-20 years olds but that once exposed to the NBA, that advantage disappears.

Also, all college players have some adjustment period, Yaxel is not coming in and outplaying a useful NBA vet from day one as almost all of his current advantages in college i.e. physical and familiarity are negated in coming to the NBA. In the NBA he will be a decent athlete, not an outstanding one.

[CptCrunch]

You think Johni Broome would at least be a decent rebounder and a energy hustler on offense, but the dude looks like a bonda fide scrub right now.

I literally do not understand why players like Broome cannot even rebound in the league. College NPOY for seniors seemingly means nothing.

[RookieStar]

You think Johni Broome would at least be a decent rebounder and a energy hustler on offense, but the dude looks like a bonda fide scrub right now.

I literally do not understand why players like Broome cannot even rebound in the league. College NPOY for seniors seemingly means nothing.

Because he was able to rebound in the NCAA by just being as big or bigger than the opponents bigs. He doesnt even jump if I remember his games.

In the NBA, he is like Drew Timme.

[giberish]

As I indicated in my original post, I would take him in the first round if he fulfills an immediate specific role for my team, however, I would not pick him until the 20's if at all and the salary slot for that player would have to be less than $4m. Else, I will wait for the second round.

Once again, this is not an anti-Yaxel post, it is simply a rational assessment of the current state of the NBA.

Yaxel is highly unlikely to have the potential to improve significantly in the future due to his age and maxed out physical development. Therefore he has limited upside potential. My alternatives to a Yaxel are (1) a veteran with proven performance for $10m or less (2) a young rookie who might not have the same skillset immediately, but has the potential to grow.

I am always choosing (1) or (2) ahead of Yaxel unless I can get him for a value significantly below the veteran, i.e. under $4m. If I chose a veteran, I can sign him to a 1-2 year contract with the options all in the team's favor so no big problem if he busts. If it is a second rounder, I can cut him with minimal cost. If I am signing Yaxel as a first rounder, I am guaranteeing 2 years at least so I want my financial risk to be low.

He's almost certainly better immediately than a typical sub-$10M/yr vet. He walks in as a solid backup and most guys in the $5M and under are 3rd string at current salaries. There's even some chance that he could step up from his current level. Even if he's a year older than a typical senior there certainly have been guys who come in as seniors and develop significantly (such as Butler or Draymond).

A 6th year senior is not certainly better than a NBA vet. That's the risk. If he is certainly better then he is a 10th pick type of player.

6th year in college jesus. Translation is a funny thing. If he translates, that's an instant role player worth 15-20m/year. If he doesn't, it's like a Johni Broome with better NBA skill set.

Most cheap vets (those way under full MLE money) are themselves pretty iffy. A few of them are useful but many aren't (or used to be a few years ago abut aren't anymore). I'd also note that Yaxel is more like a 5th year guy in terms of age - only a minor difference but it matters a bit. Only 1 year older than a typical senior. If he was just good against NCAA it would be less certain but he's been truly elite.

[JMAC3]

I was having some doubts, but after listening to Vecenie I think I am moving him down my board.

Sounds like on top of the age, there might be some character or leadership issues.

[mattg]

I just don't see what role he plays in the league to be honest. His skill level just isn't high enough offensively to do much of anything IMO. Defensively I think he will just get nonstop picked on and put on an island on the perimeter and give up consistent dribble penetration. He's like the exact prototype of a bad tweener. He's like a worse version of Jeff Green to me.

[pcbothwel]

I just don't see what role he plays in the league to be honest. His skill level just isn't high enough offensively to do much of anything IMO. Defensively I think he will just get nonstop picked on and put on an island on the perimeter and give up consistent dribble penetration. He's like the exact prototype of a bad tweener. He's like a worse version of Jeff Green to me.

While there should be some concern, part of the issue is that Michigan plays him in a Jeff Green/Tari Eason role. Fact is, he’s not a large wing, but a versatile big. He is almost identical in size to Jaren Jackson and I think he presents interesting mismatches if he was in the Cam Boozer role.
I’m not sure there are more than a dozen guys I take over him in the draft.
Even if his ceiling is limited, he presents a great value proposition on his rookie contract for a team that can use him properly.

[azcatz11]

I just don't see what role he plays in the league to be honest. His skill level just isn't high enough offensively to do much of anything IMO. Defensively I think he will just get nonstop picked on and put on an island on the perimeter and give up consistent dribble penetration. He's like the exact prototype of a bad tweener. He's like a worse version of Jeff Green to me.

While there should be some concern, part of the issue is that Michigan plays him in a Jeff Green/Tari Eason role. Fact is, he’s not a large wing, but a versatile big. He is almost identical in size to Jaren Jackson and I think he presents interesting mismatches if he was in the Cam Boozer role.
I’m not sure there are more than a dozen guys I take over him in the draft.
Even if his ceiling is limited, he presents a great value proposition on his rookie contract for a team that can use him properly.

What is using him properly? That language is always troublesome when we're using it with role players.

I agree with Mattg. Seems like the definition of great college player and he won't really translate.

Would you rather have Cenac or Yaxel?

[RookieStar]

If he can make 3s, then use him like we use Tristan. The only problem with TDS is that he gets beaten by the bigs downlow and he is too slow for the speedier SGs.

[Chuck Everett]

Him being afraid to come to the NBA probably was a redflag to a lot of scouts. He should be picked in the back-half of the first round at best. The reality of him is that he needs to come in and be an instant contributor/rotation player for any NBA team. And if you don't think he's that or he needs a little seasoning, then it makes no sense to select him in the first round. There's no upside to developing a 24 year old rookie.

That sounds like a textbook 2nd round pick to me.

[King Ken]

I like him but he's gonna fall due to his age

[JMAC3]

If he can make 3s, then use him like we use Tristan. The only problem with TDS is that he gets beaten by the bigs downlow and he is too slow for the speedier SGs.

Yeah he doesn't shoot the 3 ball well, especially for a 24 yr old from the college line.

[BlazersBroncos]

I want to compare him to Diaw but he isnt the defender or passer. Maybe Rodney Rogers?

Latter half of R1 for me. Not a high upside guy. Role player potential is contingent in many ways on his shot coming around. If not he is a 8-9th man.

[tmorgan]

Him being afraid to come to the NBA probably was a redflag to a lot of scouts. He should be picked in the back-half of the first round at best. The reality of him is that he needs to come in and be an instant contributor/rotation player for any NBA team. And if you don't think he's that or he needs a little seasoning, then it makes no sense to select him in the first round. There's no upside to developing a 24 year old rookie.

That sounds like a textbook 2nd round pick to me.

I don’t think this “afraid” line of thinking is accurate in the current college financial world.

Yaxel was projected as very late 1st rounder last year coming out of UAB, with no guarantee he’d get picked in the first. Michigan offered him a NIL package estimated to be above 2 million dollars plus the opportunity to get somewhat featured and raise his draft stock. Once Danny Wolf officially declared, leaving available the “point big” role that Dusty May likes, it was pretty much a no-brainer to withdraw from the draft.

I don’t see that as fear, I see it as betting on himself to play well on a bigger stage, which he mostly has done.