What is Israeli point guard Yam Madar’s NBA potential? Three stateside takes

Fans of the Boston Celtics are steeling themselves for their first stateside taste of stashed 2020 draft prospect Yam Madar. His arrival in the U.S. has been a much-anticipated event picking up momentum as Madar continued to take steps forward with Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Israeli Premier Basketball League in 2020-21.

He has been covered closely by media outlets in his home country of Israel, particularly Sports Rabbi, whose Moshe Halickman most recently broke the news of Madar’s arbitration case loss and need for a buyout to join the Celtics this season.

Halickman recently penned a new piece highlighting the views of stateside writers who cover Boston for his home audience (including the author of this piece) to shed some light on how Madar is being seen in the U.S.

"It’s always hard to project how a prospect will do when making the jump to the NBA from other leagues, but it’s hard to look at Madar’s season in the Israeli Premier Basketball League and not be impressed," we note in Halickman's piece, particularly noting the Beit Dagan's improvements in shooting. "[Madar has] put that to bed and even turned it into a potential point of strength, shows good court vision and a high motor with the swagger he’ll need to succeed in the NBA." https://twitter.com/TheCelticsWire/status/1414268303091044355?s=20

I think Yam has skills to make an impact in the NBA," observes fellow Celtics Lab co-host Cameron Tabatabaie. "But perhaps most importantly, I think he’s got the toughness." "Boston has a number of young guys on the bench who will need minutes. It might be another year before Yam heads stateside, although a trade could blow things wide open." https://twitter.com/TheCelticsWire/status/1414177660390060037?s=20

Popular Celtics YouTuber Tomasz Kordylewski shares a similarly optimistic perspective, noting "he has NBA-level type of talent. He’s nifty with the ball, has a great feel and touch around the rim, and showcased much improved 3-point shooting." "These will be the keys to his success in the NBA, but the most important thing is that he should be able to handle his minutes thanks to advanced defense," adds Kordylewski. Be sure to check the article out in full for the rest of the observations on Madar's NBA potential. This post originally appeared on Celtics Wire. Follow us on Facebook! [lawrence-related id=53780,53723,53719,53716] [listicle id=53787]

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