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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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Yaxel Lendeborg realized his lifelong dream of becoming an NBA player when the Golden State Warriors selected him at No. 11 in the NBA Draft. Lendeborg joins a squad that is already among playoff contenders in the Western Conference, as they feature all-time great guard Stephen Curry, defensive star Draymond Green, and multi-time All-Star Jimmy Butler.
The Warriors are also a team that became a dynasty, winning four championships behind Curry, Green, and former teammates that included Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant. However, Curry's newest teammate made a surprising admission upon joining the Golden State roster.
"It's a full-circle moment for me. I've been saying this every time I get asked this question, but 2016, I'm a big [Kyrie Irving] guy, so I used to hate Steph Curry," Lendeborg admitted during his media session at the NBA Draft.
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In 2016, Curry and the Warriors battled Irving, LeBron James, and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. It was the historic series where the Cavs were down 3-1 in the series and came back to tie it 3-3, then won it in a huge Game 7 performance.
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In an epic 93-89 Game 7 win for Cleveland, Irving had 26 points and six rebounds, while teammate LeBron had a sweet triple-double of 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists. Curry had a low-scoring performance by his standards with 17 points and only hitting 4 of 14 3-pointers.
In that game, Green had a monster performance with 32 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists, showing the type of star player he used to be 10 years ago. He could be the ideal player to mentor Lendeborg, although the rookie has plenty of valuable teachers on this NBA roster.
Even though Lendeborg admitted to previously disliking Curry, he also expressed excitement about playing on the same team as him in the NBA.
"Now that I'm gonna be on the same team as him and actually play and learn so much from him, it means a lot," he told reporters.
Lendeborg will also get to learn from Green, Butler, and the Warriors' mastermind coach, Steve Kerr, among others, seeming to give him a great situation to walk into as a rookie. He'll bring averages of 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game with a strong 51.2% field goal percentage.
Not only that, he's coming in as a champion already, having helped the Michigan Wolverines capture their second title this past season at the NCAA Tournament. This seems like a win-win all-around for both the player and the team.
Read more: Yaxel Lendeborg Has Emotional Reaction to Joining Warriors at NBA Draft
For more about the Golden State Warriors, head over to Newsweek Sports.
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