Yaxel Lendeborg is the oldest lottery pick in recent memory, and Draymond Green believes that is exactly the point.Green addressed the Warriors’ decision to select the 23-year-old Michigan forward No. 11 overall on the latest episode of the Draymond Green Show — and did not just defend the pick. He had high praise for it.
“Listen, I think that was a great pick,” Green said. “You’re talking [about] a guy who had a great year. He’s coming into the league at 23 years old, will be 24 pretty soon — and when you look at a team like ourselves, where you got so many veteran players, I think it was pretty enticing to draft a guy who you think can fit in, can play right away, has the maturity level as far as strength and all those things to step in an NBA game and contribute right away.”
Coming from a 14-year veteran with four championships and a Defensive Player of the Year award, that is not a throwaway endorsement.
Green then made the argument that the entire NBA’s relationship with age has fundamentally shifted — and used his own draft experience to prove it. When he came...