Getty Celtics president Brad Stevens.
Second-round pick Juhann Begarin is more than likely going to follow in Yam Madar’s footsteps of being stashed. However, before that happens, Boston Celtics fans will get an up-close and personal look at the highly intriguing 18-year-old international prospect — thanks in large part to a conversation Begarin had with president Brad Stevens.
“I asked Brad Stevens to play the Summer League and show them if I can play in the NBA,” Begarin told reporters, via CLNS. “And after the Summer League I will see what’s happened.”
Begarin’s wish is Boston’s command, as the Celtics have announced they’ve made the Frenchman a late addition to their 2021 Summer League roster. The No. 45 overall selection remains a relatively unknown commodity after averaging a modest 9.3 points on 45.6% shooting, 3.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals over a two-season span (52 games) as a member of the Paris Basket of the Pro B League from 2019-2021.
As highlighted by the Celtics’ official team website, Begarin flashed consistency during a seven-game winning streak for Paris Basket spanning from May through June of this year, notching five consecutive double-digit scoring performances. He was also named the Most Valuable Player of the Basketball Without Borders Europe camp back in 2019.
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Will Begarin Be Stashed?
A quick look at Bergarin’s 6-foot-6-inch build and seven-foot wingspan and it’s easy to see why the Celtics are optimistic that given some time, the Abymes, Guadeloupe native could develop into a quality player for them.
“He came in for a workout the other day. We got to see him up close, and we’ve been paying attention to him for a long time,” Stevens said of Begarin after drafting him. “He’s a guy that we think, at his age, and his body, and his physical abilities, and the way that he works and the time that he’s put in thus far, he’s gonna have a really long career ahead of him.”
Yet, as we mentioned above, all signs seem to be pointing towards Boston stashing Begarin for the immediate future.
“I do think that it can be very, very beneficial,” Stevens said of Begarin continuing to play overseas. “And that level of basketball is awfully good, and the coaching in all the different countries and all the different places around the world, as we see, awfully good. And so great preparation for next steps should that be the avenue that Juhann follows, and certainly what Yam has done.”
Celtics Summer League Roster & Schedule
#SummerCeltics continue to put in the work ☘️
With Begarin now on board, the Celtics will have an 11-man squad at their disposal come this Sunday in Las Vegas when they take on Atlanta in their first contest of Summer League. Here’s a full breakdown of the team’s roster:
|
# |
Player |
Pos. |
|
4 |
Carsen Edwards |
G |
|
11 |
Payton Pritchard |
G |
|
26 |
Aaron Nesmith |
F |
|
28 |
Yam Madar |
G |
|
30 |
Dedric Lawson |
F |
|
38 |
Sam Hauser |
F |
|
41 |
Zach Auguste |
C |
|
43 |
Aric Holman |
C |
|
45 |
Romeo Langford |
G |
|
50 |
K.J. Lawson |
F |
|
– |
Juhann Bergarin |
G |
The Celtics will have a total of five games during their Las Vegas stay, kicking off on August 8th and running through August 17th. As MassLive noted, “the 28 teams who do not qualify for the championship game will play a fifth game on either [August] 16 or 17.” Here are the initial four games Boston has scheduled and how you can watch them:
- Boston vs. Atlanta
- Date: Sunday, Aug. 8
- Time: 4 p.m. ET
- Watch: NBA TV
- Boston vs. Denver
- Date: Tuesday, Aug. 10
- Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- Watch: NBC Sports Boston or ESPNU
- Boston vs. Orlando
- Date: Thursday, Aug. 12
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Watch: ESPN2
- Boston vs. Philadelphia
- Date: Saturday, Aug. 14
- Time: 5 p.m. ET
- Watch: NBATV
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