Clippers Predicted to Draft Mid-Major Star to Give Their Front Court a Boost

A new mock draft predicted the Clippers would address that issue in the first round of this year's NBA Draft.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman predicted the Clippers would select UAB forward Yaxel Lendeborg in the first round.

Lendeborg didn't get the kind of attention he deserved over the last two seasons of his college career.

During the 2023-24 season, he led the AAC with 10.6 rebounds per game, scored 13.8 points per game, blocked 2.1 shots per game, and was named the AAC's Defensive Player of the Year as helped UAB earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

He also earned a spot on the All-AAC First Team.

Lendeborg followed that up with an even better 2024-25 season.

He once again led his conference in rebounding, with 11.4 per game. He also brought his scoring average up to 17.7 points per game. Lendeborg also blocked 1.9 shots per game and was named his conference's Defensive Player of the Year again.

Unfortunately, the fact that this all happened in the AAC stopped him from becoming a household name.

That could be good news for the Clippers.

Lendeborg would fill the Clippers' void at power forward and give them a bit more size for when Zubac isn't on the floor.

He would be another strong defensive piece for a Clippers squad that already finished fourth in points allowed this past season.

He has also shown his skills as a scorer during his time at UAB and even shot 35.7% from three this past season, even if it was a sample size of just 70 attempts.

Lendeborg is a good fit for the Clippers and could be somebody that contributes early for them.