With a highly touted rookie and a slew of veteran rotation players leading the way, the Warriors are expected to be one of the stronger summer league teams in Las Vegas, where the annual prospect competition begins Thursday.
No. 11 pick Yaxel Lendeborg thrived in a do-it-all role during his two appearances at the California Classic at Chase Center last week in his first appearance representing Golden State.
Flanking him in two blowout victories were Will Richard, LJ Cryer and Malevy Leons, all of whom cracked the Warriors’ rotation last season.
Now that group goes to play in the desert, where all 30 NBA teams will participate. Here are five things you need to know ahead of the Las Vegas summer league.
Yaxel Lendeborg doing a little bit of everything
Golden State Warriors’ Yaxel Lendeborg (1) dunks the ball during warm up before playing against the Los Angeles Lakers in a Summer League game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, July 3, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
As a player who will turn 24 before the season begins, Lendeborg was billed as a pro-ready prospect who will be able to immediately contribute to the Warriors’ rotation.
After he scored 30 points and had eight assists in two games while looking comfortable playing on the wing, the early signs point to that assessment of him being true.
At 6-foot-9, Lendeborg has the size of a forward and possibly a small-ball center, but Warriors summer coach Khalid Robinson has made a point of also allowing the rookie to take reps as the lead ballhandler.
In an ideal world for the Warriors, Steph Curry, De’Anthony Melton and Draymond Green will handle the ball most of the time. But with Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody expected to miss most of the season with knee injuries, and the aforementioned veteran trio also prone to injury, there will likely be plenty of regular-season opportunities for Lendeborg to work on the ball.
What better place to prepare for that scenario than summer league?
How much will the Warriors vets play?
Golden State Warriors’ LJ Cryer (18) takes a shot against Los Angeles Lakers’ Arthur Kaluma (47) in the first quarter during a Summer League game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, July 3, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
Richard, Cryer and Leons, like Lendeborg, participated in only the first two California Classic games before being scratched for the Monday finale that was played in front of only scouts and media. After all, the Warriors and the wider NBA world knew that those three are already rotation-caliber players.
The triumvirate already looked to be a cut above the rest of the summer league competition in a pair of blowout victories, which was to be expected from three players who got real NBA minutes for the Warriors last season.
Though the summer league is the last live competition those players will have until training camp begins in late September, it would not be surprising if the Warriors decide to shut them down at some point in Vegas. Risking injury to Richard and the rest may not be worth any possible benefits playing summer league could bring.
Other Warriors to know
Golden State Warriors’ Graham Ike (45) takes a shot against Los Angeles Lakers’ Adou Thiero (1) during a Summer League game at Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Friday, July 3, 2026. (Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group)
With Quinten Post departing to Memphis and the rest of the Warriors’ bigs either approaching middle age, prone to injuries or both, there is a real possibility that a big man from summer league could get an opportunity to eventually join the rotation.
The two names to look out for are Graham Ike and Lachlan Olbrich.
Ike is a 6-9, 245-pound bruiser with a willingness to shoot from distance. The Gonzaga product averaged 17.8 points per game in three seasons in Spokane, and started all three Cali Classic games for the Warriors while making 52.6% of his shots from the field.
Olbrich has NBA pedigree despite being just 22 years old, having played 37 games for the Bulls as a second-round pick last season and even putting up a triple-double in April. He made the most of his extended minutes in Monday’s game, making all seven of his shots and grabbing six rebounds.
Another player to keep an eye on is Vallejo’s own Chance McMillian, who has impressed coaches with his play thus far. He has scored in double figures in all three games, looking like he’s all the way back from the ankle surgery that cost him all of last summer league.
The schedule
The Warriors will play at least five games in Las Vegas.
The set-in-stone matchups are against the Mavericks (Thursday, 4 p.m.), Thunder (Sunday 3 p.m.), Grizzlies (July 14, 4 p.m.), and Knicks (July 16, 4 p.m.).
If the Warriors are one of the top four teams in summer league, they will participate in the summer league playoffs against the other finalists. If the Warriors don’t make the playoffs, they will play a fifth game on a to-be-determined date.
Other Bay Area names
MORAGA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 25: Campolindo’s Aidan Mahaney (20) goes up for a lay up against De La Salle’s Javon Johnson (24) during their North Coast Section Open Division championship game at Campolindo High School in Moraga, Calif., on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. Campolindo defeated De La Salle 51-50. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
The Warriors are not the only reason that fans of Bay Area hoops should tune into summer league games.
Former Stanford freshman sensation Ebuka Okorie will play for the Detroit Pistons, who got him with the No. 17 overall pick in last month’s NBA draft. Santa Clara’s Allen Graves went two picks later to Toronto and will play for the Raptors. Also, former Saint Mary’s forward Joshua Johnson, who transferred to Iowa State in 2024, went No. 28 overall to Minnesota and was traded to Brooklyn.
Cal guard John Camden was picked up by the Washington Wizards, and Campolindo alum and former 2022 Bay Area News Group boys high school basketball player of the year Aidan Mahaney will suit up for the Timberwolves.