Getty Celtics' president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.
The verdict remains out on whether or not Yam Madar can develop into the answer at point guard for the Boston Celtics. However, if you didn’t know any better, you’d think the 20-year-old Israel native was a bonafide star the way hype has mounted around the former second-round pick of late.
Madar will finally gift Celtics fans a glimpse into what could be with the NBA Summer League set to tip off in August. In the meantime, he’ll continue to train with the team in Boston, as he has done for the past two weeks.
Dubbed the “European Steph Curry,” Madar is fresh off a stellar season in the Israeli Premier League, where he flashed a more refined and improved game. The youngest player in IPL history to earn Most Improved Player honors, the guard knocked down a career-best 41.0% of his shots from beyond the arc and connected on 50% of his shots from the field for Team Hapoel Tel Aviv. He finished the year averaging 17.1 points and 5.2 assists per game.
Clearly, Madar’s development over the past year has the Celtics giddy on what the future may hold for both the organization and their intriguing point guard prospect.
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Celtics ‘Love’ Madar’s Progress
“Yam’s doing great,” said Celtics director of player personnel Austin Ainge during his pre-draft media availability, via Mass Live. “He had a great year, he improved on all the things we asked him to improve on. We’ve been in contact with him and his people all the way through and love the progress. We’ll see what the future holds there.”
Boston would still need to buy Madar out of his current contract should they wish to sign him to their 15-man roster following a lost arbitration case to Hapoel Tel Aviv. The Celtics could also add him on a two-way contract. Under such a deal, Madar would split time between the NBA and the G League. The league permits two such contracts to every NBA team.
Last year’s occupants of the two-way contract, Tacko Fall and Tremont Waters are both impending free agents this offseason. The Athletic’s Jared Weiss recently reported that the latter is eyeing an exit from Boston, claiming Waters would prefer to “break into a rotation elsewhere in the NBA this upcoming season.” In other words, there should almost certainly be at least one spot open for Madar should the Celtics go that route.
With that said, a solid showing in Las Vegas at the summer league should help Madar cement his placement on Boston’s 15-man roster, as well as in their point guard rotation this coming season. With Kemba Walker shipped off to Oklahoma City, Boston is left with Marcus Smart, Payton Pritchard, Carsen Edwards and the aforementioned Waters as the only point guards on their current roster.
Madar Links Up With Semi Ojeleye’s Strength Trainer
One of the biggest concerns as it pertains to Madar is his slight build. The 6-foot-3-inch guard checks in at approximately 180 pounds and could use some added bulk to his frame as he embarks on his NBA journey. The good news is it looks as if he’s set out to do just that, recently linking up with teammate Semi Ojeleye and his strength trainer Paul Fabritz, per Forbes Sports’ Chris Grenham.
“Yam Madar’s trainer, Yogev Berdugo, connected him with strength trainer Paul Fabritz over last week in Los Angeles,” Grenham tweeted. “Madar has gotten the chance to work out alongside Semi Ojeleye, who also works with Fabritz in LA.”
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