Jimmy Butler gives honest opinion on Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg

Warriors star Jimmy Butler gave his honest opinion on rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, whom the team drafted Tuesday with the No. 11 overall pick in the NBA draft.

“I know that guy be speaking his mind. I like that,” Butler said to reporters at Thursday’s media session. “I respect that. I’ve seen him play. One of my really good friends, Mike Smith, did a year at Michigan. I played with some Michigan cats. I think he’s going to be very good.

“He plays tough. He is tough. He’s going to come in and be able to help right away. He’s going to fit in. He’s got the mold to do everything and do everything well. I think he’s going to come in and help and be very comfortable.”

Lendeborg gives the Warriors size and defensive versatility on the wing for the 2026-27 season. As Butler noted, the 23-year-old should make an immediate impact in Golden State.

Lendeborg already has a friendly rivalry with two-thirds of the Warriors’ core. The Michigan product was asked whether he would take No. 23 from Draymond Green after wearing the number in college, with the caveat of having to sport Michigan State gear for the rest of the year.

Lendeborg immediately said no.

Steph Curry also got in on in the lighthearted jabs with the rookie. Lendeborg told reporters he was a massive Kyrie Irving fan in 2016 when the Cavaliers faced the Warriors in the NBA Finals. In a comment on his Instagram post, Curry told Lendeborg he would work hard to become his favorite player.

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“He’s on one. He gotta cross that bridge at one point in time, though. So, it’ll be fun for them to get ahold of them,” Butler said of the early rivalries.