Wolverine Digest

Dusty May Says Michigan Star Is 'Improving' After Performance vs. Indiana

Lendeborg showed promising signs of being back to form on Tuesday night against the Hoosiers
Seth Berry|
Jan 20, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) dribbles in the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Jan 20, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) dribbles in the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

After a sizzling start to the season, Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg had been in a mini-slump that dated back to the USC game on Jan. 2 when he was first dealing with a bruised calf.

However, the UAB transfer showed signs of returning to full form during Michigan's 86-72 win over the Indiana Hoosiers on Tuesday night, putting up a stat line of 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists while shooting at a 5-for-11 clip.

During his postgame press conference, head coach Dusty May praised Lendeborg's effort as he believes he is starting to get back to full form.

Yaxel Lendeborg shoots free throw
Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) shoots a free throw against Indiana during the second half at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

May on Lendeborg

After the Michigan win, May was asked whether the Wolverines made an intentional effort to get the ball to him in the second half after he scored just two points in the game's first 20 minutes.

May said that wasn't necessarily the case, but that Lendeborg did a nice job of making plays when the ball was in his hands.

The head coach also implied that Lendeborg is good at staying disciplined in letting the game come to him, which is going to translate to the NBA after talking with a league executive at Michigan's practice on Monday.

"No, not really," May said when asked about whether there was a concerted effort to get him more involved offensively in the second half. "I mean, we put the ball in his hands and he's a playmaker. And these guys, like all of us, I'm sure they're all getting a lot of unsolicited advice that 'you need to do this' and 'you need to do that.' I was talking to an NBA president yesterday (Monday) that was in practice, and he said 'the way he's playing for you is the role he's going to play in our league next year, and so he really doesn't need to overthink it. He just needs to play good basketball.'

"And I think he's improving. He looked like he had some pop around the rim coming off of his calf injury, and so that's a welcoming sight. And I thought in the second half he played really well offensively, but in the first half was his—those were his best minutes defensively in the first half. I thought he was flying around, blocking threes, deflecting passes. We're gonna need more of that."

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Seth Berry
SETH BERRY

Seth began writing on Michigan athletics in 2015 and has remained in the U-M media space ever since, which includes stops at Maize N Brew and Rivals before coming onto Michigan On SI in June of 2025. Seth has covered various angles of Michigan football and basketball, including recruiting, overall team coverage and feature/analysis stories relating to the Wolverines. His passion for Michigan sports and desire to tell stories led him to the sports journalism world. He is a 2020 graduate of Western Michigan University and is the former sports editor of the Western Herald, WMU's student newspaper.

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