Steph Curry Gets Honest About Warriors Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg

This past offseason, the Golden State Warriors added youthful talent to a roster of veteran stars, drafting Michigan Wolverines star Yaxel Lendeborg with the No. 11 pick.

The 6-foot-9 23-year-old comes in fresh off winning a National Championship under Dusty May, and joins a lineup that features four-time NBA champions and multi-time All-Stars Curry and Draymond Green. He’ll also have the experienced Steve Kerr as a head coach, who helmed the Warriors dynasty over the years.

While speaking to NBC Sports Bay Area & California’s “Dubs Talk” at the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament, Curry was asked about having Lendeborg as a new teammate.

“Yeah, I watched all the Summer League games. I haven't been there in person, but he looks very confident, poised, competitive. He's a champion, and I'm excited to get out there and figure it out with him,” Curry said

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“Rookies are awesome because they bring such good energy into the locker room, especially guys with talent like him, so that's what we need,” the Warriors superstar said.

Curry’s new teammate was among the many rookies playing in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas, as the Warriors took on the Dallas Mavericks, who feature Lendeborg’s former Michigan teammate, Morez Johnson, Jr., among other young stars.

Lendeborg had a strong performance, too, scoring 21 points on 8 of 13 field goals, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out six assists.

That helped the Warriors’ squad in Vegas pick up a win, and already made it clear that Golden State used their first-round pick on the type of player who will give them immediate returns.

In his final year of college basketball, the Michigan Wolverines star averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists with a 51.5% field goal percentage.

Lendeborg will now have several more Summer League games to work on his skills before the regular season. In addition to the Warriors’ rookie playing alongside Curry and Green, six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler is expected to have recovered from January’s torn right ACL that ended his season early.

Lendeborg will be back in action on Sunday as the Warriors take on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Summer League team.

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This story was originally published July 10, 2026 at 9:49 PM.