Yaxel Lendeborg’s arrival in Ann Arbor came with high hopes, and through 18 games, he’s delivered in just about every way possible for Michigan. After pulling his name from NBA Draft consideration and transferring in, Lendeborg hasn’t just met expectations - he’s exceeded them.
His stat line tells part of the story: 14.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.4 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game, all while shooting a blistering 51.2% from the field. But the real value of Lendeborg’s game goes well beyond the numbers.
Let’s start with the versatility. Lendeborg isn’t leading the nation in any single stat category, but he’s impacting every phase of the game - and doing it at a high level.
He’s either first or second on the team in nearly every major category: scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, blocks, and free throw percentage. That’s not just production - that’s all-around dominance.
And he’s done it while battling through injuries, which makes his consistency and impact even more impressive.
Defensively, he’s a Swiss Army knife. He can switch onto guards, hold his own against bigs, and still find time to rack up blocks and steals.
Offensively, he’s a high-efficiency threat who doesn’t need to dominate the ball to make his presence felt. His 67% shooting from two-point range is the kind of number typically reserved for rim-running bigs who live off dunks and layups.
Lendeborg’s doing it as a multi-dimensional forward, often creating his own looks and operating in traffic. Among the top 100 two-point shooters nationally, nearly all are towering centers - Lendeborg stands out not just for his size, but for how he gets his buckets.
When you dig into the analytics, the case for Lendeborg as one of the nation’s best gets even stronger. His offensive rating of 139.9 ranks 13th in the country, but that number becomes even more impressive when you factor in usage.
Among players who are involved in at least 20% of their team’s offensive possessions, Lendeborg leads the nation in offensive efficiency. That’s elite territory.
And it’s not just about scoring. He’s taking care of the ball (sixth in the Big Ten in turnover rate), protecting the rim (fourth in blocks), creating turnovers (23rd in steals), staying out of foul trouble (eighth), and knocking down free throws at a near-perfect clip - he’s missed just one all season, ranking second in the conference.
KenPom’s kPOY metric - which attempts to quantify Player of the Year value through advanced stats - currently has Lendeborg at eighth nationally. But here’s where it gets interesting: the statistical gap between Lendeborg at eighth and the player ranked 10th is wider than the gap between Lendeborg and the third-ranked player. That tells you how tightly packed the group behind the top two is - and how close Lendeborg is to vaulting into true national contention.
Right now, Duke’s Cameron Boozer is the statistical frontrunner, with Iowa State’s Joshua Jefferson holding strong in second. After that, it’s a logjam that includes AJ Dybantsa (BYU), Braden Smith (Purdue), Caleb Wilson (North Carolina), JT Toppin (Texas Tech), Kingston Flemings (Houston), and Lendeborg. All of them are in striking distance.
If you’re more into betting odds, DraftKings currently has Lendeborg at +6,000 to win the Wooden Award - seventh-best on the board. Boozer leads the pack at -380, followed by Dybantsa, Smith, Jefferson, Toppin, and Wilson. Flemings trails just behind Lendeborg at +8,000.
So where does that leave him in the Player of the Year race? Still on the outside looking in - but not by much.
If Lendeborg can get fully healthy and keep up this level of play, he’s got a real shot to climb. And there’s a golden opportunity looming on the calendar: Michigan’s February 21 showdown with Boozer and the Blue Devils.
That game could be more than just a marquee matchup - it could be a defining moment in the national awards race.
A strong performance there, especially in a Michigan win, could catapult Lendeborg from dark horse to serious contender. He may not have the hype machine behind him, but his game speaks volumes. And if he keeps playing like this, the rest of the country won’t be able to ignore it much longer.