Will Yaxel Lendeborg Play In Tonight's National Championship Game?
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Will Michigan Wolverines star Yaxel Lendeborg play tonight in the national championship against the UConn Huskies? Almost assuredly yes. Lendeborg is not listed on the availability report, indicating he is available to play.
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Will Lendeborg be Limited?
Will Lendeborg be effective is an entirely different wonder. Joint injuries are often at their worst in the days after the initial worry, and that initial worry plagued Lendeborg quite a bit in Saturday’s rout of Arizona in the Final Four.
As Wolverines head coach Dusty May said on Sunday, “[Lendeborg] played the second half like a 38-year-old at the YMCA, and a really good 38-year-old at the YMCA.
“Whatever version of Yaxel we get, it’s going to be somebody that helps us play better basketball.”
After injuring his knee — a “low-grade” MCL sprain and a “small bone bruise,” per Michigan’s trainer — Lendeborg played nearly nine minutes in the second half. He scored six points on 2-of-2 shooting from beyond the arc and grabbed two rebounds.
Lendeborg was clearly limited. No matter the blowout nature of the game, not taking a field goal inside the arc in nine minutes of action stands out as a passive offensive approach.
Injury Impact on His Game
For context, Lendeborg took 5.3 shots inside the arc per Big Ten game, and he averaged 6.8 such shots in the first four games of this NCAA Tournament. If playing his usual game, he would have attempted two or three such shots on Saturday’s second half.
Expect Yaxel Lendeborg to take the court in Indianapolis tonight, but measure any other expectations of the Michigan star.
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