Aday Mara’s strong preseason has done more than turn heads in Oklahoma City - it has turned up the heat on the Golden State Warriors and their decision to draft Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11.
The Wolverines’ 2025-26 national title run came with a loaded interior, and it didn’t take long for the draft fallout to follow. Morez Johnson Jr. went No. 9 overall to the Dallas Mavericks, while Lendeborg and Mara came off the board back-to-back at No. 11 and No.
- Because Golden State landed Lendeborg, every big night from Mara now makes the comparison louder.
And Mara has been loud.
The 7'3”, 262-pound big man has paired that frame with a 7'6” wingspan and a game that keeps flashing across the preseason. He’s scoring inside, cleaning the glass, protecting the rim, and even knocking down Dirk Nowitzki style turnarounds. On top of that, he’s three years younger than Lendeborg, which only adds to the buzz around his upside.
Still, Lendeborg hasn’t exactly faded into the background.
Golden State’s rookie has given the franchise a jolt during a preseason that feels refreshingly different. The Warriors finally have a young player worth getting excited about, and Lendeborg has delivered on both ends. He opened with nine rebounds in his preseason debut, followed that with 17 points and nine boards the next time out, then broke out again with 23 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and a block in his most recent game.
That production matters because the Warriors clearly had a specific type of player in mind when they made the pick. They entered the 2026 NBA Draft needing both help now and a path forward after Stephen Curry. Injuries and what the source describes as questionable roster decisions have left the team thin on long-term pieces and short on players ready to log reliable minutes.
Lendeborg fits part of that brief. The 24-year-old arrives with a polished package as a scorer, rebounder, playmaker, and defender. He looks like someone who can step into real responsibility quickly, and the Warriors may need that sooner rather than later.
But the other half of the equation is where Mara keeps creeping into the conversation. Golden State does not just need a useful rookie.
It needs someone who can matter after Curry, too. If Mara turns out to be the better long-term player and the Warriors don’t hit the level they want while Curry is still in his twilight years, this choice will stay under the microscope.
That doesn’t erase what Lendeborg has shown. It just means the bar has gotten higher because Mara keeps raising it. And for a rookie who may already be headed toward a role as an offensive second or third option, the challenge is obvious: make every minute count.
For now, the debate is only getting started.
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