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UAB Blazers forward Yaxel Lendeborg (3) during the game between the UAB Blazers and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles on November 7, 2024. (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Summary: Lendeborg fills the stat sheet in every category, showing off athletic shot creation, dominant rebounding, and versatile defense. There really isn’t anything he can’t do, it’s just a matter if what he does in a weaker conference can translate to the pros.
Comparisons: Paolo Banchero, Tari Eason, Justise Winslow
Strengths
Playmaking: Lendeborg has a superb handle for a player at his size. He’s so shifty and could benefit greatly from NBA spacing. He can get to the rim as a scorer himself, though his creation leads to buckets for teammates with nifty passes all over the floor.
Scoring versatility: UAB plugged him all over the floor. He can post up, he can face up and drive, he can operate in the pick-and-roll as a screener or handler. He’s an athletic lob threat, but also a solid standstill shooter.
Rebounding: Lendeborg rebounds like the ball is his oxygen. He hunts down loose balls and routinely logs over 15 boards in games, whether he’s hunting for offensive put-backs or cleaning the glass on defense then starting the break himself.
Defensive versatility: He just never stops, he’s always in the passing lanes, covering ground on rotations, extending his long arms for blocks. Second and third efforts are not uncommon for him. And with his blend of quickness and length, he can either switch and defend the perimeter or offer help inside as a shot-blocker.
The journey: Lendeborg played only 11 varsity games in high school because poor grades kept him sidelined for multiple years, then he shined for a JUCO school before transferring to UAB. And he’s improved every step of the way and quite rapidly.
Concerns
High-level experience: Playing for a mid-major, he doesn’t face many top 50 schools. The best team he played this season was Memphis, and they played three times. In those games he averaged 15.7 points on 22.2% from 3 and 40.6% from inside the line. Granted he offers more than scoring, it’s a worrisome sample for a senior still playing at a small school.
Streaky shooting: He made a subpar 35.3% of his 3s on only 1.9 per game with nearly all of them coming off the catch, and he made only 32.7% of his dribble-jumpers from midrange, per Synergy. It’s important he raises his volume to become a reliable spacer.
Decision-making: Sometimes he tries to do too much with the ball by forcing tough passes or taking unneeded risks. He’s also had a few occasions where he bobbles a catch because, like a wide receiver, he’ll turn before he secures the ball.
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