Getty Images Yam Madar of Israel in action during the EuroBasket qualifier
Nothing is promised for Boston Celtics prospect Yam Madar, as he attempts to earn his first NBA roster spot to play for one of the league’s most storied franchises.
This would be a dream come true.
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Madar, who the Celtics selected with the 47th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, has waited an entire year for this opportunity. And while speaking to The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach, talked about how much he’s looking forward to the challenge.
Yam Madar: ‘Coming to Earn my Place on the Team’
“I don’t know anything in my life that has come guaranteed,” Madar said, per The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach. “Every place I’m coming, I’m coming to work and coming to earn my place on the team. That’s something I know how to do. Working hard is something I know how to do.”
2021 NBA Summer League will be a tremendous platform for Madar to showcase himself. Plagued by COVID 19, it’s an opportunity that wasn’t offered to Yam one year ago.
However, if the Celtics ultimately decide to offer Madar a contract, this year, they may still have to wait a year while the soon-to-be 21-year-old plays another season in Israel.
Celtics’ Yam Madar Loses Arbitration Case
An arbitrator ruled Yam remain under contract with his current team, Hapoel Tel Aviv, his Israeli Premier League team.
Madar could reach a buyout with Hapoel Tel Aviv — which, according to Yam, could cost him $700,000, per Celticswire.com’s Justin Quinn. Still, Madar focused on the work that lies ahead.
“The work that I put in, no one else really did,” Madar said, per The Boston Globe. “I think that’s what separated me from the other guys that I played with. You couldn’t tell at that age I would be something different. I’m not 7 foot tall and wasn’t super athletic at a young age. The work put me at the place I am today.”
Growing up in Israel, Yam Madar constantly studied clips of Rajon Rondo leading the Celtics. Now, he hopes he’ll get a chance to do the same.
He talked about his path here, and Celtics’ execs talked about what they see in the flashy point guard.
Yam Madar’s ‘Rajon Rondo’ Roots
As a kid, Madar loved watching Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, whose fancy passing style inspired the young Israeli to model his game after. Now, with his first chance to play in the United States, Madar says his experience in the Israeli Premier League — where he frequently bounced back and forth between Hapoel Tel Aviv’s under-18 team and its first-division team — pushed him to become a better player.
And, he can’t wait to prove himself to Boston.
“I’m excited to start in Boston,” he said per The Boston Globe. “I’m not planning on going somewhere else. My focus is the NBA. I’m very excited to be joining stars like Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Marcus Smart. I just want to work with them, because I’ve seen how they mastered their craft and got better. Those are the kind of players I want to work with.”
Madar averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 assists, and 1.3 steals in 30 games for Hapoel Tel Aviv last season, per Basketball-Reference.com.
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