Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg has emerged as one of the early favorites for Rookie of the Year (ROY). The 11th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft sits atop the latest Kia Rookie Ladder.

But Lendeborg, who turned 24 before the 2026-27 season began, knows his age will invite criticism whether he wins the award or not. He has also set an even bigger goal for his first NBA season.

Yaxel Lendeborg Sees a Catch in the Rookie of the Year Race

During Friday’s “NBA on Prime” interview, Taylor Rooks asked the 6-foot-9 forward about his ROY aspirations.

“I want it pretty badly but when you think about it? It’s kinda, like, a lose-lose thing. If I don’t get it, ‘Ah, he’s 24 and couldn’t win Rookie of the Year?’ If I do get it, ‘Ah, he won it cause he’s already 24,’” Lendeborg said.

He then shifted to the bigger goal he has in mind:

“The award would be nice but I’m trying to be an All-Star this year.”

His age would not make him unprecedented as a ROY winner. Malcolm Brogdon, David Robinson and Elgin Baylor are tied as the oldest players to win the award, each doing so at 24.

Lendeborg’s path to the NBA was unusual. He had never played organized basketball before joining his high school freshman team, then spent much of his high school career academically ineligible.

He eventually returned for the final 11 varsity games of his senior season before beginning his college career at Arizona Western. He later played at UAB before transferring to Michigan, where he won an NCAA championship.

His first NBA season has quickly put him in the ROY conversation. Lendeborg is averaging 20.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.0 steal per game.

Golden State lost its first three games before winning eight straight. During that run, the former Michigan star produced some of his biggest performances of the season, including 31 points against the Denver Nuggets and a season-high 37 against the Los Angeles Clippers.

An All-Star selection would put him in much rarer company. Only 45 rookies in NBA history have earned an All-Star nod, and just two have done it this century: Yao Ming in 2003 and Blake Griffin in 2011.

Lendeborg’s first game without Stephen Curry showed how difficult that pursuit could be. He scored just 3 points on 1-for-13 shooting Friday as the Warriors fell 123-85 to the San Antonio Spurs.

Curry suffered an oblique abdominal tear Wednesday against the Houston Rockets and will be reevaluated in two weeks. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Golden State is preparing for the possibility that its star guard could be sidelined closer to a month.

The superstar guard’s absence should put more responsibility on Lendeborg. His first test without the two-time MVP did not go well. The next several games will offer a better indication of how close Lendeborg is to turning his All-Star goal into something more than an early-season aspiration.