Warriors may have 1 very surprising starter next season

Steve Kerr may be coming off his long-held stance next season.

The Golden State Warriors head coach Kerr has informed rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg that he might be starting for the team next season, Anthony Slater of ESPN reported Thursday on “NBA Today.” Slater notes that Kerr thinks that Lendeborg is “different.”

A 6-foot-9 combo forward, Lendeborg is coming off a superb season at Michigan in which he was named Big Ten Player of the Year and helped lead the Wolverines to their first national title since 1989. Lendeborg then went to the Warriors with the No. 11 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft.

Lendeborg was also perhaps the single most impressive player at NBA Summer League this year. Averaging 14.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game, Lendeborg got named Summer League MVP after Golden State won the Summer League championship (with Lendeborg also producing some impressive soundbites along the way).

Now looking ahead to the actual NBA season, the Warriors have a big hole to fill at the forward spot. Jimmy Butler (torn ACL) will miss a good chunk of the year, and other frontcourt players like Jonathan Kuminga and Quinten Post are now off the roster as well.

Like many NBA head coaches, Kerr has a long history of not trusting rookies, especially as starters. But Lendeborg will already be turning 24 years old in September and has an NBA-ready body for either forward position. As such, Kerr may be ready to anoint Lendeborg with a starting spot, perhaps in part to both ability and necessity.