With the No. 47 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics have selected guard Yam Madar out of Israel.
Madar is a crafty ball-handler currently in his third season with Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Israel Basketball Super League, the nation's top competition. After he averaged just 2.7 points in 9.7 minutes per contest in his debut 2018-19 season, Madar carved out a key role in his second year, playing 23.7 minutes per game while averaging 9.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. The notable jump earned him the league's Most Improved Player award for the 2019-20 campaign.
The 19-year-old also helped Israel win gold at the 2019 FIBA Under-20 European Championship. Madar's 7.7 assists per game led the competition and earned him an All-Tournament First Team selection.
Bio
Position: PG/SG
Club: Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel)
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 180 lbs
Wingspan: N/A
Max vertical: N/A
Strengths
- Great ball-handling skills allow him to keep his dribble alive and drive to the basket.
- Playmaker whose creativity opens up opportunities for teammates.
- Solid passer out of the pick-and-roll.
- Tenacious man-to-man defender.
- Could benefit from "draft-and-stash" situation thanks to his young age.
Weaknesses
- Poor long-range shooter; has never shot better than 27% on 3-pointers over a full season.
- Needs to add size and strength to keep up with NBA guards.
- Gets blown by at times when defending too aggressively.
