Somehow, some way, Draymond Green became the center of discussion on Tuesday night during the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.
This was probably due to the fact that his Golden State Warriors just drafted another Wolverine, and much like Jordan Poole, Yaxel Lendeborg has the personality that’s going to drive Draymond crazy. We’ve all seen this movie before, but Draymond had a physical altercation with the last Wolverine NBA player that he teamed up with and he’s hoping for better luck with Lendeborg.
Unfortunately for him, Lendeborg is already coming in hot.
For one, Yaxel said that being drafted by the Warriors was a full-circle moment because he was a huge Kyrie Irving fan back in the day so he grew up hating Steph Curry. I’m not quite sure why he’d say that on NBA draft night, but Lendeborg doesn’t often like to think before he shares his opinions.
Also during his post-draft presser, Lendeborg was asked about wearing the No. 23 in the NBA like he did at Michigan when he won the national title and his answer turned into a shot at Michigan State.
Lendeborg essentially said that he wouldn’t even consider wearing Michigan State gear for an entire season in order to get No. 23 because the Spartans are “little brother” and he doesn’t want to represent losers by wearing their swag. Just because he said that, I have a feeling that Draymond is going to incorporate some Michigan State gear into some friendly rookie hazing.
There’s still the case of No. 23 up for discussion, however.
Draymond Green is facing a dilemma already
Draymond’s biggest dilemma this offseason has been about what he should do with his future now that he has a player option for the final year of his Warriors contract.
If this is his final year with Golden State, does he consider giving up his No. 23 to a Wolverine? My easy answer would be absolutely not, but I think Green goes one step further and makes Yaxel do some extra rookie duties for even thinking he could get Draymond’s number. We’re talking about a four-time NBA champion and future Hall of Famer here. You don’t just come in as a rookie and take Draymond’s number.
I guess it’s not a huge dilemma if it’s likely that Draymond holds on to his No. 23 jersey, but there’s at least going to be a discussion about it with Lendeborg.
That discussion will likely last all of two seconds.
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