Former Teammates Turned NBA Draft Lottery Picks set to Face Off at NBA Summer League

For the first time, former teammates turned NBA Draft picks will be facing off against one another.

Last year’s title-winning. Michigan squad was loaded with talent, eventually leading to three lottery picks. Morez Johnson Jr. was selected at No. 9 by the Dallas Mavericks, Yaxel Lendeborg was taken shortly after at No. 11 by the Warriors, and Aday Mara capped the Michigan draft off, taken at No. 12 by the Thunder.

On Thursday, the former two are set to face off against one another in Summer League action.

Johnson’s going to Dallas was one of the bigger surprises of the draft. Not for lack of talent, the 6-foot-9 forward was ranked behind his Wolverine counterparts for much of the season. Though on draft night, the new Mavericks’ regime made sure to lock in Cooper Flagg’s frontcourt teammate for the foreseeable future.

Johnson’s game is built around his defense. He slid in between both Lendeborg and Mara last season, providing a level of rebounding, rim-protection and even perimeter defense seldom seen for one his size. He averaged 13.1 point mostly finishing plays, though his selection in the top-10 lends itself to thinking big in terms of what he can become.

Lendeborg, at 23-years-old, is set to offer the Warriors a player that can plug in and play immediately.

A collegiate journeyman, Lendeborg has evolved his game several times, capping off his carer in averaging 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. He started out as a rebounding, play-finishing big, but eventually turned into a play-making wing. Given his experience, Golden State will be lookig for him to plug in and contribute immediately next to superstar Stephen Curry as they give it one last go.

Lendeborg does have a head start on Johnson in the form of two games already played at the California Classic. He was stellar in the Warriors’ opener, going for 19 points on perfect shooting, and managed 11 points on 11 shots in the second game.

Yaxel Lendeborg (Michigan) NBA SL DEBUT vs Lakers

19 PTS (6-6 FG, 4-4 3PT, 2-2 FTs)
6 AST
5 REBS
1 STL
1 BLK
22 MINS

He was the 11th pick for the warriors… What do we have cookin up here?? pic.twitter.com/VWZ28mGNYs
— Frankie Vision (@Frankie_Vision) July 4, 2026

Standing alongside Mara — one of college basketball's premier shot-blockers at 7-foot-3 — Johnson and Lendeborg helped Michigan to become a winning-machine last season. The trio helped the sqaud to coast to the national championship, eventually outlasting UConn.

Johnson and Lendeborg are sure to spend some time guarding one another in today’s game, which tips off at 4 p.m. PT. Plenty of other top rookies will be facing off in today's action.

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