Michigan assistant coach Mike Boynton opened up about the team’s mindset on Yaxel Lendeborg during this week’s “Defend The Block” podcast:
Michigan assistant coach Mike Boynton Jr. appeared on the University of Michigan’s Defend The Block podcast this week, and while NCAA rules prevented him from mentioning UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg by name, there was no doubt who he was talking about.
The Wolverines are in a holding pattern with Lendeborg, who committed to Michigan out of the transfer portal but is now doing through the NBA Draft process — and potentially on the brink of hearing his name called in the first round.
Boynton offered a candid look into how Michigan is approaching the uncertainty surrounding Lendeborg.
“Here’s what we said as a staff — we want to be able to meet the expectations we’ve set so far after one year and continue competing for Big Ten championships and making runs in the NCAA Tournament,” Boynton said. “We wanted to build our roster so that our base was solid. And then beyond that, could we add someone who could take us to another level? Potentially take us from a team you’re talking about as a contender to possibly being a favorite to win the Big Ten?”
That “someone” is the 6-foot-9, 240-pound Lendeborg. ESPN currently projects him as the No. 29 pick in the first round, which would come with a guaranteed contract. Lendeborg himself admitted that while he initially leaned 60/40 in favor of Michigan, the combine experience has him “super stuck in between.”
Despite the uncertainty, Boynton emphasized that Michigan’s coaching staff doesn’t feel like it’s rolling the dice blindly. The Wolverines’ approach was to secure a core roster of four returning players, three freshmen, and three transfers before deciding to wait on Lendeborg’s decision.
“It’s a little bit of a calculated risk on one hand,” Boynton said. “But the key was … setting a team and a roster, even without (him), that we thought still could compete at a really, really high level.”
In other words, Michigan believes it’s still built to win now — even if Lendeborg stays in the draft. But if he does decide come back to college? That obviously changes everything.
Boynton revealed the staff identified a handful of high-level players in the early stages of the offseason who could elevate the program to national contention. In their view, Lendeborg was the guy. Not just a nice addition — but a program-changer.
“We identified probably five or six guys, and we talked to several of them, but there was one particular that we thought that could really move the needle. So, it’s in a wait and see.”
For now, the Wolverines will wait. And they’re comfortable doing so. Boynton made it clear Michigan isn’t desperate, but hopeful. Lendeborg is the kind of player who can raise the ceiling of a program.
“We want to continue to build our fans’ interest in Michigan basketball, to continue to fill Crisler as often as possible,” Boynton said. “And then obviously, build on for the next class, for the next group of guys to see what Michigan can do.”
Whether Lendeborg becomes a cornerstone of that vision or another tantalizing “what if” in the program’s rich history of missed transfers, Michigan’s approach is already sending a message — the bar is still high, the foundation is still solid and the Wolverines are playing for more than just relevance.