Yaxel Lendeborg Starts the Warriors Opener and Is a Late-Round Fantasy Reach

Yaxel Lendeborg found out from reporters, not his coaches, that he would start Golden State's preseason opener. Steve Kerr announced after an open practice in Hawaii that Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, Lendeborg, Draymond Green and Al Horford will open Sunday's game against the Clippers in Honolulu. The No. 11 pick in the 2026 draft got the nod at small forward over Gui Santos, who started 26 of the Warriors' last 29 regular-season games a year ago. For fantasy managers drafting this weekend, that is the kind of camp news that should move a rookie up the board.

Lendeborg was already on sleeper lists. RotoWire listed his Yahoo ADP around 116, which puts him in the late rounds of standard 12-team drafts. A starting job next to Curry, with Golden State's forward depth thinned by injuries, makes that price look too cheap.

Why Lendeborg is starting

Kerr explained the choice in terms of balance: size on the front line, playmaking from Curry and Green, and spacing from Horford, with Horford, Lendeborg and Podziemski all able to shoot threes and make plays. The SF Standard's breakdown of the group called it the Warriors' best blend of spacing, playmaking and ball-handling, while flagging point-of-attack defense and the 40-year-old Horford's minutes as the main concerns.

Lendeborg's physical profile is the reason the fit works. He is listed at 6-foot-9 and 241 pounds with a wingspan reported at more than 7-foot-3, and Kerr is comfortable playing him at either forward spot. Beat coverage from camp has praised how defensively and fundamentally sound he looked in scrimmages with the first group, and Green has taken him on as something of a mentee.

The opportunity is bigger than one preseason start

The bigger fantasy story is the Warriors' injury list. Kristaps Porzingis is out indefinitely with a health issue. Jimmy Butler is rehabbing a torn right ACL and Moses Moody is recovering from a ruptured left patellar tendon. General manager Mike Dunleavy has not given a target return date for either, and both will miss opening night against the Lakers on Oct. 21. Butler has said he feels ahead of schedule, but neither is expected back soon.

That leaves a large share of forward minutes without an owner. Even if Kerr eventually moves Santos back into the first unit for matchup or defensive reasons, Kerr has made clear Lendeborg is going to play a lot either way. Rookies on contending teams usually have to fight for 15 minutes a night. Lendeborg looks set for a real rotation role from day one.

The fantasy case

Lendeborg's college and summer production lines up with category value. As a Michigan senior, he was a consensus first-team All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year on a national title team, averaging 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 steals while shooting 37.2% from three. In eight Summer League games he averaged roughly 15 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists with 1.4 steals, 0.9 blocks and about two made threes per game, on 48.4% shooting from the field and 45.9% from three, and won Summer League MVP as Golden State won the title.

That is a stocks-plus-threes profile, the most valuable kind of late-round forward in nine-category leagues. He does not need high usage to help: a forward who chips in steals, blocks, threes and rebounds in 25 to 30 minutes is a useful roster piece even at modest scoring. The weak spot is free throw shooting (71.4% in Summer League), so managers punting free throw percentage should value him a bit higher than the field.

In points leagues, the case is a little softer because his scoring volume will be modest next to Curry. Still, the defensive counting stats and passing give him a steady floor if the minutes are there.

Risks to weigh

This is a preseason lineup, not an opening-night guarantee. Santos earned his starts last season and remains the more experienced option. If the starting group struggles to contain quick guards, Kerr could swap in a smaller defender and bring Lendeborg off the bench. Rookie inconsistency is also real: a hot Summer League does not always carry into games against NBA starters.

There is also a crowding risk later in the season. A healthy Porzingis would push Horford to the bench and reshape the front-court minutes, and a returning Butler would take the forward minutes Lendeborg is currently filling. Neither return is close, and both players have uncertain timelines, so the window for Lendeborg to secure a role is the first two months of the season. That is enough time for a rookie to become hard to bench.

What to do in your league

In standard 12-team category leagues, take Lendeborg in the final third of the draft, ahead of his ADP, ideally as a third forward or utility pick. In deeper formats (14 teams and up), he is worth targeting a round or two earlier. In dynasty, a No. 11 pick starting in camp next to Curry and learning from Green is a buy at current prices. Santos is a deep-league waiver name to monitor rather than draft.

On the betting side, it is too early to price Rookie of the Year off one preseason start, but Lendeborg's role is a meaningful input: rookies on winning teams with clear minutes tend to stay in that conversation if they produce counting stats. Preseason markets are thin and lineups are fluid, so patience is the right approach. Once games count, check /nba/predictions for the model's view on Warriors games.

What's next

Golden State plays Sunday, Oct. 4, against the Clippers at 4 p.m. Pacific at the University of Hawaii, the first of six preseason games. Watch Lendeborg's minutes with the starters, whether he spends more time at small forward or power forward, and how Kerr staggers Horford. Any update on Porzingis is the other key variable for the Warriors' rotation. If Lendeborg holds the starting job through the second week of the preseason, his ADP will climb, so the time to draft him is now.