The top-ranked player in the Transfer Portal, Yaxel Lendeborg, chose the Michigan Wolverines over pursuing the 2025 NBA Draft, and this week he explained the factors in that decision.
Joining Brian Boesch on "Defend the Block," Lendeborg shared his familiarity with Dusty May, the feedback he got from franchises at the NBA Combine, and how his official visit to Ann Arbor changed his mindset about where he'll spend the upcoming year.
Last season, Lendeborg averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals per game at UAB. He's a two-time AAC Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-AAC and was projected as a late first-round pick had he stayed in the NBA Draft.
Instead, he chose Michigan, where he's the jewel of a Transfer Portal class that ranks second nationally and that raises U-M's expectations for the upcoming season.
Here's what Lendeborg said about picking Michigan over the NBA Draft and his fit with the program:
Yaxel Lendeborg's initial conversations with Dusty May and Michigan
The initial conversation was great. I already liked Dusty May as a coach. My first year watching basketball, me and my friends, JUCO, we're watching March Madness, we're watching FAU, and then another team we're watching is Houston.
I just started to like how he coached his team, how he looked, obviously, when he was coaching, because a lot of coaches are always just fired up, angry. He just seems so cool, calm, and collected, and that's how I try to be as a player as well, so it's kind of nice to have that. It's refreshing.
When he came out to visit me, it was amazing. It was big time. It was huge for me and my emotions, because I always wanted a coach to be like a father figure for me, someone I can look up to. I feel like Dusty May is going to be a real big part of that. He can for sure be a father figure for me and help me grow as a person rather than just a basketball player.
Why Yaxel Lendeborg chose Michigan over the NBA Draft
Well, there was two things. Number one was when I came out here on my visit, it pretty much turned everything around for me. Because NBA, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, I can make it.' But then when I came out here, it was like, he's promising me next year I can be better than what I was last year, higher ranking Draft-wise than I can be if I come here and put the work in.
And then two was: I spoke to NBA teams. Majority of them were saying that it wouldn't be a bad idea to come back here, develop a little bit more, play at a higher level, just to see what I'm capable of doing. And I've always asked that question to make sure, because my mind was always like, 'I want to come to Michigan, but the NBA is the NBA. You have to go when you have the chance.'
Hearing that type of feedback from NBA teams is pretty much what helped me more lean toward Michigan.
Yaxel Lendeborg's official visit to Michigan changed his trajectory
It was mid to late April. As soon as I got here, my mom was excited. She was recording everything. I was excited as well, but I'm more of a live-in-the-moment kind of guy. So we're complete opposites, which is kind of strange, different eras.
But yeah, I was just excited. I was happy, all smiles. The city is amazing. It's pretty scenic, which is nice.
And then when I came here, the facilities and stuff that you guys have here is amazing. I'm not really used to having all that many resources. UAB had good stuff for me to use as well. But obviously, this is another level. It's completely different. It's amazing.
This is obviously NBA-caliber stuff for me in my eyes. I'm not missing out that much. Obviously, I'm still going to grow, get better, and I can actually do more in live action play as well.
But from the jump, head completely turned and just super excited to be here. And it felt like home as soon as I stepped foot here.
Yaxel Lendeborg can play the Danny Wolf role
We pretty much do the same thing. I would say he's a better shooter than me. Coming off the pick and roll with a big, it's always a lot better, you know, because '5' men can't really move that well.
I feel like I move pretty decently for my size. First instinct is always the pass for me. So coming off the screen, I'm gonna have a lot of shooters around me. I can make that pass to a shooter and probably just increase my assist number. That's always something I've wanted to do. But if the opportunity for me to score is there, then I have to take that as well. But I do feel like I can play his role pretty well.