The Warriors often touted the phrase “Strength in Numbers” during the organization’s halcyon days, a declaration that no other team could match the number of quality options available to Golden State.
But those squads had future Hall of Famers and a legendary coach. If anything, the 2026 summer league Warriors are in many ways a closer embodiment of what that motto actually meant.
Despite having a roster without a single top-10 pick, and only three second-rounders, Golden State beat a collection of star-studded teams in both San Francisco and Las Vegas to reach the franchise’s second summer league title game.
The Warriors faced the Grizzlies, who had this year’s No. 3 pick in Cam Boozer and fellow first-round selections in Taylor Hendricks and Cedric Coward.
Meanwhile, the Warriors’ roster resembled their 2013 edition, which went 7-0 and took down the Suns with then-lesser-known names such as Draymond Green, Ian Clark and Kent Bazemore.
Depth won as the Warriors prevailed 94-90 on Sunday night.
Only time will tell if the 2026 version will eventually produce the next crop of contributors to an NBA title team in the Bay Area.
When making a more immediate breakdown, there are several reasons the Warriors made it farther than many teams with more pedigree.
Here are a few:
Yaxel Lendeborg lived up to the hype
Golden State Warriors' Yaxel Lendeborg celebrates with the MVP trophy after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in an NBA Summer League championship basketball game Sunday, July 19, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Golden State Warriors’ Yaxel Lendeborg celebrates with the MVP trophy after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies in an NBA Summer League championship basketball game Sunday, July 19, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Picked one spot out of the top 10, Yaxel Lendeborg was the team’s top player, overwhelming in no one area but excelling in almost every way.
The Warriors’ prospective future face of the franchise impressed with his versatility. Standing at 6-foot-9 and weighing in at 241 pounds, he was large enough to grab boards, coordinated enough to make adept passing reads and a willing enough shooter to make half of his 3-pointers.
Is he a perfectly finished product? Of course not. Even though he’s older for a rookie at 23, Lendeborg still has strides to be made as a defender and off-the-bounce creator. But in summer league, where chaos tends to overwhelm, Lendeborg’s steadiness stood out.
He finished summer league averaging 14.8 points and shooting 35.7% from 3-point territory, and saved his best performance for last.
Lendeborg put up 21 points and 10 rebounds against the Grizzlies and scored seven of the Warriors’ last 10 points.
Second-round rookie Lajae Jones looked far more raw but still showed promise. He scored in double figures in four consecutive games to begin the Las Vegas summer league, but put up only eight combined points in the final two playoff games.
Richard, Leons and Cryer took another step
Golden State Warriors' Will Richard (3) celebrates after making a shot against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second quarter during a Summer League game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, July 3, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Will Richard (3) celebrates after making a shot against the Los Angeles Lakers in the second quarter during a Summer League game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, July 3, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Lendeborg was the top storyline going into summer league, but right behind him was a question about the returning players. July is often seen as a time for second- and third-year players to show that they have taken another step in their development.
With a year or two of NBA experience – on both the court and in the weight room – veterans are expected to dominate the rookies and longshots that populate the other rosters.
That is exactly what happened with the Warriors’ vets.
Malevy Leons was a menace on the interior, the third-year big too athletic and active for the average summer league big to handle. Guard LJ Cryer had already been scoring in the NBA, and so he had little issue getting his shot off against the John Elmores of the world. He averaged a team-high 15 points per game.
And of course, returning second-round pick Will Richard (9.4 ppg) showed that all of the muscle he put on from hours in the gym was not just for show.
That trio will likely be asked to play real rotation minutes this season, and summer league was an encouraging sign that they will be ready for more minutes in real games.
Unheralded players stepped up
Golden State Warriors' Chance McMillian (55) takes a shot against Los Angeles Lakers' Anton Watson (41) and Los Angeles Lakers' Peter Suder (35) in the fourth quarter during a Summer League game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, July 3, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors’ Chance McMillian (55) takes a shot against Los Angeles Lakers’ Anton Watson (41) and Los Angeles Lakers’ Peter Suder (35) in the fourth quarter during a Summer League game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, July 3, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Summer league is more than just a showcase for the returning vets and ballyhooed rookies. It is also an opportunity for the unheralded names to make their cases for training camp invites, looks from abroad and spots in the G League.
Vallejo native Chance McMillian is fully back from an ankle injury that cost him all of summer league and training camp last year. He flashed not only his smooth jump shot, but a willingness to playmake while making 12 of 22 3-point jumpers.
Undrafted rookie center Graham Ike might stand only 6-foot-9, but the Gonzaga product started every game of summer league. Though far from a high-flyer, the old-school, back-to-the-basket big man was a menace on the boards (8.0 rebounds per game) and showed shooting mechanics that allowed him to connect on 85% of free throws.
Australian big man Lachlan Olbrich gave the Warriors a second center who could make teams pay on offense. Olbrich, a second-round pick of the Bulls last season, made a number of high-level passes from the post and displayed deft touch on floaters while averaging 6.4 ppg.
Nick Boyd might be a long shot to make the roster, but the 24-year-old rookie survived being on the Sacramento summer league squad and made an impact on the Warriors’ varsity once he joined them in Vegas (7 ppg). Deivon Smith, a shifty point guard who poured in 21 for the Warriors in the title game, gave Golden State a spark in the title game.
Do not be surprised if any of those five are standouts for Santa Cruz this season.
Coaching staff puts it all together
Golden State Warriors summer league coach Khalid Robinson stands on the sidelines against the Los Angeles Lakers during a Summer League game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, July 3, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Golden State Warriors summer league coach Khalid Robinson stands on the sidelines against the Los Angeles Lakers during a Summer League game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, July 3, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
In an environment built for random players chucking shots in an attempt to put up gaudy stats some team might notice, the Warriors coaching staff did their best to ensure Golden State would not fall prey to that common summer league trope.
Head coach Khalid Robinson, alongside Santa Cruz coach Lainn Wilson, player development coach Mark Tollefsen and others, focused on putting his players in spots they could realistically be in for the Warriors.
Could Richard score 20 in isolations against 180-pound no-names? Probably. But Robinson knew that would not serve his players well in their development.
“The biggest thing with those guys for me is stacking winning plays that are going to allow you to help our team during the regular season,” Robinson said.
And this philosophy was proven the right one. The Warriors ended their summer league – the last organized hoops the team will play until training camp begins in late September – with a championship.