Post Game Summer League vs Atlanta - Away, 8/8/21

A nice win.  We are extremely undersized, Brad did not do Joe Mazzulla any favors.

Pritchard was ice cold in the 1st half but his competitiveness kicked in.  He really wanted to win this game.  6 points on 2-9, 2-7 from 3 at the half, ended up with a game high 23 points on 7-18, 7-15 from 3.  That's a 17 point, 5-9, 5-8 from 3 second half.  He made one 3 from about 40', a real Dame shot.

Edwards with 17 points, 8 rebs and 6 assists but, in my opinion, it's fool's gold.  He shot 6-17, 2-8 from 3.  A 5'11" guard in the NBA cannot shoot 2-8 from 3 and say "good job".  As pointed out by Dboss on the Game On! thread he has no playmaking skills.  I say this with one eye on his boxscore that says '6 assists and zero turnovers'.  Yeah, well, color me unimpressed.  The good news is that maybe a scout in the stands liked him enough to make an offer to Brad.  I like Krispy Kremes.  How about you, Brad?

Romeo supposedly improved his ballhandling.  I didn't see it.  Can't dribble into traffic without a handle, son.

Nesmith with a poor shooting night.  I don't care.  He can shoot, whether he does it in Vegas or not, he's a shooter.

Bergarin showed why people are knocking his shooting.  Not that great.  His defense is pretty solid though.  He made a steal to seal the win and he did that with anticipation and speed (and some good out-of-bounds defense).  He's still not making the club this year, but he doesn't look like a bust neither.  He's only 18 and he didn't look lost out there.

We started off 0-12 I think, the score was 8-0 Atlanta, and then flavor-of-the-month Yam Madar came in and changed everything with his energy on both ends.  A solid first game for him.  I don't know why he's on the court at the same time as Pritchard, I'd have them playing on-off with each other, but there they were.  He made some excellent pocket passes on pnrs.  He was the best playmaker for us, he really has a good feel for spacing. Will he make the team this year? I'd rather have a veteran but I can't fault his first game.

18 fritos for them, 9 for us.  We shot 38%, they shot 49%.  We won it because they had 18 TOs and we had 11 and because we took 51 3pt fgas.  51 out of 81.  Wow.  We only hit 31% of them but the sheer number of attempts overwhelmed them.

https://www.espn.com/nba-summer-league/boxscore?gameId=401352133&league=nba-summer-las-vegas


Bob


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Roster


PLAYER # POS HEIGHT WEIGHT BIRTHDATE AGE EXP SCHOOL

Carsen Edwards #4 G 5-11 200 lbs MAR 12, 1998 23 2 Purdue

Payton Pritchard #11 G 6-2 190 lbs JAN 28, 1998 23 1 Oregon

Aaron Nesmith #26 F 6-6 213 lbs OCT 16, 1999 21 1 Vanderbilt

Yam Madar #28 G 6-3 180 lbs DEC 21, 2000 20 R Hapoel Tel Aviv

Juhann Begarin #29 G 6-5 214 lbs AUG 07, 2002 19 R Paris, France

Dedric Lawson #30 F 6-7 230 lbs OCT 01, 1997 23 R Kansas

Sam Hauser #38 F 6-8 215 lbs DEC 08, 1997 23 R Virginia

Zach Auguste #41 C 6-10 239 lbs JUL 08, 1993 28 R Notre Dame

Aric Holman #43 C 6-9 225 lbs JUL 11, 1997 24 R Mississippi State

Romeo Langford #45 G 6-4 215 lbs OCT 25, 1999 21 2 Indiana

K.J. Lawson #50 F 6-7 215 lbs MAY 07, 1996 25 R Tulane


Bob
MY NOTE: This lists Romeo as #45, but in the game he wore #9. Is this a permanent change now that Wanny is gone and the number is free? 4+5 = 9?


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PP can start as far as I'm concerned or he is a very solid BU.  He is a legit shot maker and ball handler. 

Madar can play.  He is quicker than I thought and you can see he has a real feel for the game.  My one concern, he needs to add more muscle.  Physically he will get worn down.  However I see no reason to throw him back in the water.  He can and will get bigger and stronger right here.

RL and AN both played very physical.  More reps, reps reps.

Bergarin has talent but he is clearly not ready yet.  Put him back in the oven.

Sam Hauser is too slow laterally but he can shoot.   The 2 way opportunity seems like a good fit.

The Celtics should have added more size.  It would benefit the guards.

CE is trying to shoot his way into a crowded rotation.  At the very least maybe he plays well enough to get traded.

RL is not a ball handler.  He did look more comfortable out there in taking shots.  Nice money ball from the corner pocket.  AN still need to slow his roll.  Had a couple of offensive fouls after making the right passes but he could not control his momentum.  Just slow down.

Bob
MY NOTE:  A beautiful person pocket pass at about the  :20 mark. At :35 he's doing Avery Bradley full court pressing  resulting in a Tommy Point.  Highlight films don't show you the bad stuff, but Yam didn't have many to show anyway.




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Yam is too quick and aggressive to fail in the NBA. Next year he'll be 190-195# and able to hold up and flourish. Love his passing and quick steps. Pesky D.

I decided to watch the game again.  I liked it better the 2nd time around.

One interesting observation was watching Cooper, the pocket size PG from Auburn who was drafted at #48.  He made some nice plays and ended up with 11 points and 6 assists but he also had 6 turnovers.  I think Boston made the right decision taking Bergarin.  I was surprised that he was so thick.  He missed a couple of wide open looks and made a couple as well but I liked his defensive intensity and physical presence.  He had 5 rebounds.  He has a decent handle and a pretty good feel for the game.  At 18 years old he is a very solid looking prospect.  I know he wants to play now but another year in France will enhance his development.

PP looks more like a combo guard and Yam Madar looks like a pure PG.  PP however did record 5 assists so he looks more than capable of running the offense.  He also had 5 rebounds and 2 steals.  I think that he will do quite well running with the big dogs.  Physically he looks bigger.  You can tell he has been hitting the weights.  He made several big time clutch shots including a couple of next level deep balls.

Nesmith played hard and defended well and made some nice plays out there.  But as I already stated he just needs to slow it down.  He had 3 turnovers on 3 offensive fouls.

No one has been harder on RL than I have but he is really starting to look like a guy that can do some things.  He made a few shots that he would not have taken last year.  His shot is still a little flat but that can be fixed.  

Overall PP, AN, RL and the kid YM can help this year.  We are not expecting greatness but if they can give us solid rotation minutes it will really help the team.

Out of that group of 4 guys I definitely can see PP averaging 10-14 PPG.  He can  really shoot the rock.  

Over the next few games I will be looking to see improvement from both AN and RL on offense with fewer mistakes.

Yam should definitely get a roster spot.  He has a natural flow about his game at the point and he showed us a few shots including a spinning  turnaround in the paint, a nice midrange jumper on the baseline line and a beautiful tear drop floater also driving the baseline.

Bob


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https://www.masslive.com/celtics/2021/08/yam-madar-shows-he-belongs-in-celtics-summer-league-opener-i-thought-he-exceeded-expectations.html



Yam Madar shows he belongs in Celtics summer league opener: ‘I thought he exceeded expectations’


Updated Aug 08, 2021; Posted Aug 08, 2021


By Brian Robb | brobb@masslive.com


LAS VEGAS — Yam Madar told reporters last week he planned to play for the Celtics in the NBA next season and he certainly backed up that talk in his Summer League debut on Sunday afternoon.

Boston’s No. 47 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft made a meaningful impact as a reserve on both ends of the court in the Celtics’ 85-83 win against the Atlanta Hawks over his 17 minutes of action.

The Celtics came out looking flat in their opener, falling behind by 10 points in the opening minutes as Boston’s experienced starters missed their first eight shots of the game.

Madar brought some life to the offense however once he took the floor midway through the frame. He got the Celtics on the board with a layup shortly after subbing in, knocked down another baseline jumper minutes later and also helped to get Boston’s offensive flow going with his passing in the pick-and-roll and attacking in transition, leading a 17-2 run.

“I think he exceeded expectations,” Celtics summer league head coach Joe Mazzulla said. “It’s on all of us to just help him find a role, what his role will be at this level, and how he can get better at it. It starts with ball pressure and making great decisions for him and our team. Our first practice we turned the ball over a lot, and today we only had 11. We did a great job taking care of the ball, and his decision making, his poise was a reason.”

The 20-year-old played with a good level of flair, bringing some valuable vision to a Boston backcourt that is heavy on experience in this summer league but lacks strong passers in Payton Pritchard, Carsen Edwards and Romeo Langford. Madar stood out from the pack immediately within that group, something that should catch the eye of Brad Stevens as he debates whether to give Madar a spot on Boston’s 15-man roster for this upcoming season.

Perhaps the more encouraging part of Madar’s debut was his contributions on the defensive end. He ratcheted up the ball pressure on Atlanta’s starting point guard Sharife Cooper throughout his minutes in both halves and was a clear disruptor to Atlanta’s offensive flow on that front. Cooper had four turnovers and Madar was an integral part of forcing a pair of those and also provided timely help with double teams on a couple of other possessions.


“I’m just trying to do whatever I can to try to make the team win,” Madar said. “It was the defense today that I tried to bring from the bench just to bring some energy to the floor, helping the guys on the floor to bring some extra push. And I’m happy it was good.”

“I was very happy with Yam,” Mazzulla added. “I thought he did a great job of changing the game with his ball pressure. Last week in training camp was his first time playing and he had some growing pains. He did a great job consequently over the last two days and he really showed that in the game today. We’ll be looking for him to bring that defensive pressure, and down the offensive end get a few more touches, maybe a little more confidence and make plays for others.”

What all of this means in the big picture remains to be seen as overreacting to one Summer League performance usually isn’t a wise choice. However, Madar’s defensive impact is something that has caught the eyes of his teammates during practice this week.


“Yam, he has long arms and quick hands.” Payton Pritchard said. “He definitely has potential to become something.”

The Celtics currently have 15 players signed to the main roster for next season, so Boston would need to release or trade one player in order to make room for Madar on the opening night roster. Jabari Parker has a non-guaranteed contract so he could be released at any point before opening night to make room for another player without Boston taking an extra hit to the salary cap. The team currently sits extremely close to the luxury tax line so any Madar signing would probably be accompanied by some salary dump if the team wants to dodge the tax.


Boston has the ability to use the team’s mid-level exception to sign Madar to a contract that could last for four years in total if they like what they see from him during the rest of Summer League. The team continues to explore other point guard options on the free agent, including Dennis Schroder but Madar could be a cheaper alternative with some long-term upside for the team to develop stateside right away. Brad Stevens was in the stands watching closely on Sunday and that evaluation will continue all week long for Madar.

Whether this upcoming season or a year down the road, Madar looks like he will be ready to make the leap soon to the NBA and he couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity.

“It felt amazing. It’s a dream come true,” Madar since of his first game with Boston. “Being on the floor, wearing that Celtics jersey, it’s amazing. It’s a blessing for me, for my family, representing them. It was great.”


Bob


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https://www.nba.com/celtics/news/sidebar/post-sl-080821-day-1-takeaways-summer-celtics-win-over-hawks





Day 1 Takeaways From Summer Celtics' Win Over Hawks



By Taylor Snow | @taylorcsnow
Celtics.com
August 8, 2021


The Boston Celtics had an exhilarating start to Summer League Sunday afternoon, as they overcame some early shooting struggles to sneak past the Atlanta Hawks with an 85-83 win in Las Vegas.

The Celtics missed their first eight field-goal attempts of the game, which enabled Atlanta to get off to a 10-0 start. However, Boston found its rhythm midway through the first quarter, turning the game around with a 17-2 run.

In a fight to the finish, Romeo Langford came through by knocking down the go-ahead 3-pointer with 11 seconds remaining before 2021 second-round pick Juhann Begarin stole Atlanta’s ensuing inbounds pass to seal the deal.

Aside from the thrilling ending, there were plenty of takeaways to unpack throughout the 40-minute exhibition, which we have highlighted below.


Aggressive Pritchard Showed off Extended Range

Payton Pritchard does not look like he belongs in the Summer League based on his performance from Sunday afternoon, and we mean that in the best way possible. He was the most impressive player on the court as he shot the leather off the ball, knocking down 7-of-15 from 3-point range en route to a game-high 23-point effort.

And not only did he shoot well from long range; he shot it well from lonnnnng range, as he canned a handful of shots from way beyond the arc, including one from logo distance.


We know it’s only a one-game sample size, but the aggression that Pritchard showed from start to finish was a promising sign for the second-year point guard, especially knowing how the C’s are likely going to rely on him to be a significant scoring contributor this coming season.


Madar Was the Spark Plug in C’s Turnaround

There’s been a lot of hype surrounding 2020 second-round draft pick Yam Madar heading into Summer League, and he sure lived up to it Sunday afternoon.

You know that 17-2 run that we mentioned at the top of the article? Well, that was largely Madar’s doing.

The 20-year-old Israeli point guard entered the game midway through the first quarter when the C’s were down 10-0, and from that point forward was when they turned the game around. He knocked down the first shot of the game, made some impressive passes off the dribble, and played energetic defense throughout his 17 minutes of action, during which he tallied eight points on 4-of-6 shooting.

Pritchard commented that Madar “did an incredible job” in his first Summer League game, as he “came in and brought that energy, that activeness, and it just carried over for all of us.”


Edwards Excelled Across the Board

Carsen Edwards said a few days that he’s hoping to use Summer League as an opportunity “to prove that I belong on the floor” in his upcoming third season with the Celtics. Well, he’s off to a good start, because he proved to be one of the best all-around players on the floor in Game 1.

Edwards finished second on the team in scoring with 17 points, led the team in rebounds with eight, and tied for the game lead in assists with six. The 5-foot-11 guard also snagged one steal and did not turn the ball over a single time during his 30-plus minutes of action, which was extra impressive considering how he spent a good deal of time running the offense.

We know that Edwards can heat up in the scoring department, but it was extra encouraging to see him contribute in so many other ways right off the bat.


Rom3o Delivered in the Game’s Biggest Moment

Romeo Langford says that he’s been working extensively on his shooting this offseason, and he sure backed up that claim Sunday afternoon.

The third-year guard canned 3-of-7 from 3-point range, including the game-winning dagger from the right corner, which we have clipped below for your viewing pleasure.


After spending the last couple of seasons improving his shot mechanics, the next step for Langford is to keep shooting with confidence. Clearly he did that in this case, as he knocked down the biggest shot of the game without hesitation.

Sharpshooting teammate Pritchard believes that if Langford can carry such confidence into this coming season, “it’s going to expand his game tremendously. He has the ability to pass, drive, (play) defense, and so once that three-ball keeps coming like he hit at the end of the game, he’s going to be a problem.”


Begarin Brought Big-Time Effort

Langford’s clutch shot may have not turned out to be the game-winner if it hadn’t been for Juhann Begarin’s big-time play on the ensuing defensive possession.

As Atlanta was setting up its out-of-bounds play at mid-court, Skylar Mays was able to lose Pritchard on a screen so that he could catch the inbound pass near the logo. However, Begarin executed a perfect switch onto Mays, jumped the passing lane, and picked off Sharife Cooper’s dish to seal the win.

Boston’s 2021 second-round pick expressed following practice Thursday afternoon how much he enjoys playing defense, and he showcased that ability throughout his first NBA game with his lateral quickness and active hands. The 6-foot-5 guard also displayed confidence in his shooting, as he knocked down his first two 3-point attempts and finished with seven points to go along with five rebounds.

Begarin was initially not on the Celtics’ Summer League squad, but he claimed to have convinced the basketball operations staff to let him come to Vegas to prove his worth. And it’s a good thing that he did, because the Celtics may not have won their first game if it weren’t for his clutch defense.


Bob


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I was really pleased with Yam and Frenchy2, Madar has a natural feel/instinct for the game, he reminds me of Rondo on defense and I could see him developing into a Tony Parker type on offense. Begarin is a lot bigger and thicker than I thought, for an 18 year old kid, shocked how much bigger he looked than AN and RL, what a great find for the future. Prototype for a wing with length and mobility, kid also has very good feel for the game. PP looks like he’s ready to take the next step, every team needs 3 point shooting and spacing, he can provide it. RL looks like his shot is improving, no hesitation and nailed the big corner 3!!

Hi,
Unfortunately, missed the game.
So, what's the deal with Yam Madar? Will Celtics pay for his release and will he be on the roster this season?


AK

sinus007 wrote:Hi,
Unfortunately, missed the game.
So, what's the deal with Yam Madar? Will Celtics pay for his release and will he be on the roster this season?


AK

sinus,

My guess, and it strictly that, is the Celtics will wait until after the end of summer league to decide this.  They will wait for the following reasons:

1.  They want to see more than just one summer league game.
2.  They are talking to other veteran point guards (e.g. Schroder) about that slot.
3.  Other teams are making decisions too, and their decisions affect Boston's.  If one of the teams who are also negotiating with Schroder decide to roll the dice with one of their summer league players for a pittance rather than sign Schroder for much bigger bucks then he becomes more open to Boston's offer.  If, on the other hand, they aren't comfortable with adding another young'un then they might go for Schroder, which would leave us out in the cold and create an opportunity for Yam Madar.

There's no need to rush to judgement.


Bob


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I thought that, for the first game on the floor together, the kids did okay. There was not one player that had us saying WOW, he can shoot!! like we did with Edwards, or the rookie summer league for Jaylen when he just lit the place up. But they did okay. Try hard not to get too attached to Madar, I see alot of travel in his plans, back and forth to Maine. That is, if they want to buy his contract out.

I kept hoping for Nesmith to explode and put on a scoring display, not yet. But, all in all, we
have a few kids here that may make us smile. If this is a "bridge year", maybe these kids will advance a level where we are all happy or become one of many "chips" to include in a trade.