‘He’s found his balance’: Yaxel Lendeborg unstoppable as Michigan rolls over Tennessee

CHICAGO — This season has been an odyssey for Yaxel Lendeborg, the hyper-talented graduate forward who transferred in at the start of the year.

It started before he even landed in Ann Arbor, with all of the hype surrounding his No. 1 portal rank and the supposed price Michigan paid to land him. After months of chatter, the season finally began, and everyone’s eyes were on Lendeborg.

He played like a player who had just been the best guy on his team by far, because he had been. There were some minor injuries, but his overall game — and his numbers, now in the national spotlight — were heavily scrutinized. Lendeborg didn’t have the aggression, tenacity, or scoring most expected. He was aware of it; after most games, he’d tell reporters how the Wolverines’ coaching staff kept getting on him for being more intentional.

Then, as Michigan’s season picked up, Lendeborg’s scoring began to spike. Twenty-six points against Michigan State, 21 points against Duke, 27 against Michigan State again.

It’s not entirely true to say Lendeborg elevates his game on big stages, because the little things that he does even when his numbers don’t show up remain incredibly impactful to this team. But sometimes the box score is right. And so far through March Madness, Lendeborg’s numbers haven’t lied.

Lendeborg scored 27 points, grabbed seven rebounds, blocked two shots, and made three 3-pointers in the first 34 minutes of the Wolverines’ 95-62 win over Tennessee, sitting on the bench for the final six as Michigan’s clean-up crew sustained a 30-point lead.

“Man, it’s March Madness, you know?” Yaxel Lendeborg said postgame. “So I’m not gonna go out here and not play aggressive. That’s all these guys want from me. So I’m gonna go out here and do it.”