Just let the riches rolllllllllll in 🙂
His decision to reject a more complicated path through the NBA's development system a year ago changed the trajectory of his career. It is also the premier example of a strategy others have leveraged to raise their respective stocks. A past generation of mid-to-late first round, early second-round prospects who didn't have an opportunity to cash checks at the college level would have gambled on their NBA futures and entered the draft before they were ready. But Lendeborg's success at Michigan (15.1 PPG) showcased the strengths of the collegiate development model -- and the increasing limitations of the NBA's."The only guys that are leaving now are guys that are guaranteed to be top picks," said Brian Thornton, the Big 12's chief basketball officer. "The NBA is getting a more developed product. They're getting a guy who is not the 19-year-old prospect anymore. They're getting a 22-year-old guy who has been through it, has played 150 college games and his body is mature. They're getting a guy who's ready to play now."
For Lendeborg, life in Ann Arbor was automatic.
His mornings started with breakfast, prepped by the team's nutritionist, followed by 11 a.m. workouts with associate head coach Mike Boynton and other staffers, then practices inside a $10 million facility. Jacob Kohn, Michigan's director of analytics, could tell Lendeborg where to focus his energy. And Matt Aldred, the strength and conditioning coach, prepared the workouts that helped Lendeborg pack more muscle onto his frame. He also had access to a psychologist and doctors attached to one of the best medical schools in the world.