Scouting Report: Here’s what Michigan fans can expect from UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg

If he doesn’t stay in the NBA Draft, Yaxel Lendeborg is a potential star in the making for the Michigan Wolverines. Here’s our scouting report to detail what fans can expect from him:

Dusty May and his staff have been cooking in the transfer portal. In the first week since the Wolverines lost in the Sweet Sixteen, Michigan has landed guard Elliot Cadeau (North Carolina), forward Morez Johnson (Illinois) and forward Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB).

Lendeborg is testing the NBA draft waters, but he has until June 15 — the deadline for withdrawing from the draft — to make his final decision. He told ESPN’s Jonathan Givony one of the main reasons he committed to Michigan was the development of Danny Wolf.

If Lendeborg forgos the draft for a season at Michigan, he slides in as one of the Wolverines’ best players and could play a role similar to Wolf’s. Here’s a scouting report of his game and a look at where he fits in Michigan’s rotation.

Scouting Report

There’s plenty to be excited about when looking back at Lendeborg’s two seasons at UAB, and many reasons why he was considered the top player in the portal.

Lendeborg’s journey is a unique one. He played just 11 varsity games in high school , moving from Puerto Rico to New Jersey at eight years old. He started his college career at Arizona Western and was Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) Player of the Year in 2022-23 before transferring to UAB.

He was UAB’s leading scorer this past season, averaging 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 52.2 percent from the field, 35.7 percent from three and 75.7 percent from the free throw line. Lendeborg has collected quite a bit of hardware in the American Athletic Conference:

• 2x All-AAC
• 2X AAC Defensive Player of the Year
• 2X All-AAC Tournament team
• AAC Tournament MVP (2023-24)

Lendeborg is an excellent defender with quick hands at 6-foot-9. Among the 5,000+ players on KenPom, Lendeborg ranks 178th in block percentage (5.1) and 366th in steal percentage (2.8). He’s an absolute menace when it comes to taking the ball from the opponent.

Most of the breakdowns that College Basketball Scouting — a great YouTube resource when the portal is open — come out with are five-minute run time, and Lendeborg’s is nearly twice that length. When it comes to his game, there’s a lot worth highlighting.

Lendeborg is an incredibly polished player who can beat you in more ways than one. As Ant Wright mentioned above, Lendeborg’s 7-foot-2 (!) wingspan helps him produce takeaways, and he is a versatile scorer who can get buckets in the iso and out of the pick and roll. He can also knock down catch-and-shoot threes towards the end of offensive sets.

He’s going to thrive in May’s fast-paced offense thanks to his execution on transition plays. Even when not leading the break, he’s a threat to knock down a three from the top of the key. His basketball IQ is also through the roof — he’s really good at dictating the offense, whether that’s making the right play or the extra pass when he needs to.

Lendeborg has an efficient assist-to-turnover rate (22.9-14.2), serving as an excellent passer who can serve as the main catalyst of an offense. He’s not one-dimensional like a lot of forwards in the portal.

His three-point percentage is slightly above average (36.2 percent), and while he could be more efficient from deep, Lendeborg is a good enough scorer from all three levels to make up for it. He drastically raises the floor of the Wolverines because of his play on both ends.

Where he fits in Michigan’s rotation

Lendeborg was a leading scorer for the Blazers the past two seasons, and with all the turnover on Michigan’s roster, he’s got a good chance to be Michigan’s leading scorer next year. At 6-foot-9, he probably fits in best at the 4. But just like Wolf, he can serve as a point forward for the Wolverines while defending larger players on the other end.

He is going to have the ball in his hands a lot, partially because of his skills in the pick-and-roll.

As fun as Area 50-1 was, Lendeborg unlocks so many opportunities for a Michigan offense that was limited at times this past season. If Lendeborg returns to college for one more year, Michigan could easily return to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.