As the 2026 NBA Draft approaches, it feels like Michigan big man Yaxel Lendeborg becomes increasingly polarizing. The 6-foot-9 forward is fresh off an awesome year with the Wolverines, averaging 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.1 steals per game for the national champions. 

After two years as a star at UAB, the jump to the Big Ten didn’t bother him. However, Lendeborg’s age is a major talking point at this stage in the process. He’ll be 24 years old when the 2026-27 season begins, and front offices might prefer to develop a younger prospect. Lendeborg is also rumored to be an interesting locker room personality, potentially piling onto the case against him. 

Some of the late rumblings suggest Lendeborg could be in for a minor draft-night slip. Whether that actually happens remains to be seen, but this is someone that should make an instant impact in the NBA — and the right situation could unleash a unique player, capable of providing serious versatility in the frontcourt. 

When looking at what Lendeborg brings to the table, the defense is a fun place to start. Not only is Lendeborg tall, his 7-foot-3.25 wingspan, and standing reach of 9-foot-0.5, allows him to play even bigger. In college, Lendeborg was able to adequately guard one through five, and that could make him something of a game-wrecking defensive piece. 

Lendeborg will primarily play the four in the NBA, and he’s quick enough, strong enough, and smart enough to be a rock-solid defender at his position. But the switchability he flashed with Michigan is rare. Good pick-and-roll operators do whatever they can to set up situations in which they can attack bigs. Consistently going at Lendeborg might not be the wisest decision. Lendeborg will also be able to size up and play some small-ball five. 

Lendeborg is also good at defending within a team concept, and he can really impact games on the glass. While his rebounding numbers with Michigan were modest, he averaged double-digit boards in back-to-back years prior to transferring. He’s athletic, he’s long, and the timing is there. 

Lendeborg is also a very good player offensively. As a scorer, he’s extremely effective as a play-finisher, where he’s very comfortable scoring around the rim. That should translate to the NBA, as he has unteachable physical traits. Lendeborg is also intriguing as a stretch big. He still has to prove his jumper is completely legitimate, but he shot 37.2% from deep last year — and he did it on 4.5 attempts per game. Lendeborg improved his three-point percentage in three consecutive college seasons, and the 82.4% he shot from the free throw line suggests there’s no reason to really worry about the three-ball being fluky. He has decent mechanics, he shoots with confidence, and his year-over-year improvement means he deserves the benefit of doubt when evaluating the jumper. 

Lendeborg is also a fantastic connective passer. After averaging 4.2 assists per game for UAB in 2024-25, he continued to flash strong playmaking in Ann Arbor. That’s something that should help him quite a bit in the NBA. Bigs that can think fast, process the game at a high level, and comfortably make a number of different passes are rare. He’s going to be someone that NBA teams can actually run some offense through. 

Lendeborg also plays with passion. That fire inside is something some analysts and insiders say gives teams pause, but it also helped Dusty May’s Michigan team win college basketball’s biggest prize. And if you ask key decision-makers if they’d rather someone that cares too much or someone that cares very little, they’re taking the former every time. 

If there’s something that could be an issue with Lendeborg, it’s the fact that he probably feels he’s going to be a star —and teams might have those expectations for him as well. However, Lendeborg’s skill set probably serves him better as a “star in his role” type. He can be an absolute stud as a Swiss Army knife that fills gaps as a fourth or fifth starter. It might take some time for him and his next team to realize that, but that ultimately should bring out the best in him. 

The thought of Lendeborg landing with the Golden State Warriors or Oklahoma City Thunder should be terrifying for the other teams in the league. It’d be super interesting watching him learn from someone like Draymond Green, and he’d fit like a glove in the Warriors system — if he can swallow his pride and fit in. With the Thunder, he’d provide a ready-made contributor that gives the team some much-needed size up front. But honestly, he’d be a good fit with most of the playoff-caliber teams picking at the end of the lottery — or just outside of it.