Welcome to Virtual Boston, Juhann Begarin!

[BostonCouchGM]

problem I see with him is he's a natural PG like SGA but because of his body type and moronic coaches there and here, they'll try and force him to be a SG so he'll likely never reach his immense potential. There's so many similarities between he and Ivey, another natural PG people think is a SG. But purely based on a talent perspective, he's right up there with Tatum and Brown. Shame we'll almost assuredly screw it up somehow.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Thanks for the great write up. I'm looking forward to Juhaan's Celtics debut. Sure, there are aspects of his game that still need development, but his athleticism, energy, and hustling play are there right now. I don't think he would be over his head if he were to come over next year. Let him finish his development here. I see a lot of upside.

Having a year to step up from Pro B to Pro A, work on his game and delay the clock on his contract made a ton of sense. But that was this year and for next year it's not that he can, it's that he should come over. I'm not sure he'd benefit from an extra year overseas. He's physically ready and would get much better coaching here (despite what people may think of Udoka, I guarantee you his staff is more competent than the one from Paris Basketball). I'm not really sure what an extra year in Paris would accomplish for his development.

problem I see with him is he's a natural PG like SGA but because of his body type and moronic coaches there and here, they'll try and force him to be a SG so he'll likely never reach his immense potential. There's so many similarities between he and Ivey, another natural PG people think is a SG. But purely based on a talent perspective, he's right up there with Tatum and Brown. Shame we'll almost assuredly screw it up somehow.

Right now the accuracy on his passing is really holding him back so it's tough to say how well he sees the floor. One of the quirks of his statistical profile is that he shoots better from 2 (62% for a guard is really impressive) than the line (56% not so impressive). His three point shot isn't super consistent either. As a result I'm a bit wary about his outside shooting and I think that using him as a slasher would make a ton of sense. But clearly his coach at Paris Basketball doesn't agree and he'd rather have Allman and Boatright dance on the perimeter for the entire shotclock before forcing a contested shot. Those guys are good shot makers and they make a bunch of those attempts but I don't understand how that's your base offense instead of your late clock bailout.

[Larry_Russell]

Think he will be over here next season as part of the team?

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Think he will be over here next season as part of the team?

I hope so. Like I said I think it's best for his development. Looking back at him demanding to participate in summer league to try and play his way onto the team, as well as his interviews, it's also very clearly what he wants. The problem is that on the wings you have Brown and Tatum that aren't going anywhere, and probably at least two of Richardson, Nesmith and Langford will still be here next season (Smart can also absorb some minutes there if need be). That's not including what they do with Dozier and Hauser, in the draft and in free agency. It gets crowded pretty quickly.

I don't feel like Stevens is too keen on adding four rookies (first round pick, second round, Madar and Begarin) to the roster this summer so realistically someone is getting squeezed. Certainly they could package the picks or pick new stash guys but if they only have room to bring one guy over it's probably going to be Madar. His best hope is probably a 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 trade that opens up roster spots. I think what happens at the deadline and during the draft should be very telling.

[Larry_Russell]

Think he will be over here next season as part of the team?

I hope so. Like I said I think it's best for his development. Looking back at him demanding to participate in summer league to try and play his way onto the team, as well as his interviews, it's also very clearly what he wants. The problem is that on the wings you have Brown and Tatum that aren't going anywhere, and probably at least two of Richardson, Nesmith and Langford will still be here next season (Smart can also absorb some minutes there if need be). That's not including what they do with Dozier and Hauser, in the draft and in free agency. It gets crowded pretty quickly.

I don't feel like Stevens is too keen on adding four rookies (first round pick, second round, Madar and Begarin) to the roster this summer so realistically someone is getting squeezed. Certainly they could package the picks or pick new stash guys but if they only have room to bring one guy over it's probably going to be Madar. His best hope is probably a 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 trade that opens up roster spots. I think what happens at the deadline and during the draft should be very telling.

I think the 5th wing spot is completely open though. Bergarin could fill that role. (I dont see both Nesmith and ROmeo on the team next year)

Also @ 6'6" and a 7' wingspan I think Begarin could easily play at PF. He is longer than Grant who plays there now.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Think he will be over here next season as part of the team?

I hope so. Like I said I think it's best for his development. Looking back at him demanding to participate in summer league to try and play his way onto the team, as well as his interviews, it's also very clearly what he wants. The problem is that on the wings you have Brown and Tatum that aren't going anywhere, and probably at least two of Richardson, Nesmith and Langford will still be here next season (Smart can also absorb some minutes there if need be). That's not including what they do with Dozier and Hauser, in the draft and in free agency. It gets crowded pretty quickly.

I don't feel like Stevens is too keen on adding four rookies (first round pick, second round, Madar and Begarin) to the roster this summer so realistically someone is getting squeezed. Certainly they could package the picks or pick new stash guys but if they only have room to bring one guy over it's probably going to be Madar. His best hope is probably a 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 trade that opens up roster spots. I think what happens at the deadline and during the draft should be very telling.

I think the 5th wing spot is completely open though. Bergarin could fill that role. (I dont see both Nesmith and ROmeo on the team next year)

Also @ 6'6" and a 7' wingspan I think Begarin could easily play at PF. He is longer than Grant who plays there now.

I don't love him at the 4 full time but it could work for stretches. I think they even had him play some small ball center during summer league. I don't anticipate the coaching staff will go that far in NBA but yeah part of his appeal is that he is strong enough and long enough to play anywhere on the perimeter.

With Toupane's arrival, Paris has downsized some and with almost exclusively one big Begarin often finds himself against 4s or even 5s and they haven't really tested him in the post (hasn't necessarily worked out for them when they did try either).

[Hal14]

I hope so. Like I said I think it's best for his development. Looking back at him demanding to participate in summer league to try and play his way onto the team, as well as his interviews, it's also very clearly what he wants. The problem is that on the wings you have Brown and Tatum that aren't going anywhere, and probably at least two of Richardson, Nesmith and Langford will still be here next season (Smart can also absorb some minutes there if need be). That's not including what they do with Dozier and Hauser, in the draft and in free agency. It gets crowded pretty quickly.

I don't feel like Stevens is too keen on adding four rookies (first round pick, second round, Madar and Begarin) to the roster this summer so realistically someone is getting squeezed. Certainly they could package the picks or pick new stash guys but if they only have room to bring one guy over it's probably going to be Madar. His best hope is probably a 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 trade that opens up roster spots. I think what happens at the deadline and during the draft should be very telling.

I think the 5th wing spot is completely open though. Bergarin could fill that role. (I dont see both Nesmith and ROmeo on the team next year)

Also @ 6'6" and a 7' wingspan I think Begarin could easily play at PF. He is longer than Grant who plays there now.

I don't love him at the 4 full time but it could work for stretches. I think they even had him play some small ball center during summer league. I don't anticipate the coaching staff will go that far in NBA but yeah part of his appeal is that he is strong enough and long enough to play anywhere on the perimeter.

With Toupane's arrival, Paris has downsized some and with almost exclusively one big Begarin often finds himself against 4s or even 5s and they haven't really tested him in the post (hasn't necessarily worked out for them when they did try either).

Yeah I mean, also consider that Hauser has basically played 0 non-garbage time mins this year and has played most of his mins in g league - so I basically consider him a rookie next year.

So next season we could potentially have 5 rookies:

-Begarin
-Madar
-Hauser
-2022 1st round pick
-2022 2nd round pick

Obviously we're not going to have all 5 of them on the 15 man active roster. Probably at least 1 (maybe 2) of them will fill our 2 2-way contract spots.

While I agree that the best move for Begarin's development is bringing him over next season, he's only shooting 32% from 3 on the season. I'd really like to see that up closer to 35-36% or higher to feel comfortable bringing him over and letting him compete for some rotation minutes.

Keep in mind, he is going against competition that's weaker than NBA and shooting from a 3 pt line that's closer to the hoop than NBA so the 32% mark is a little concerning. But at the same time, he is only 19 yrs old so chances are good that his shot will keep getting better as he gets older, with more experience, practice and better coaching.

Madar, I'm not sure what they're gonna do with him next season. I think it's a similar situation to Begarin where it's like, how much will he really gain/improve by staying in europe? It is a little different with Madar because a) Begarin already has an. NBA-ready body, whereas Madar could use some more time to get stronger physically and b) Madar is playing for a coach on his Partizan team that is considered by some to be the best pro coach in all of europe, so he is getting really good coaching overseas whereas perhaps Begarin would get much better coaching in the NBA..

With that being said, it does seem like all of a sudden the Partizan coach is giving way less minutes to his young guys (Madar and 20 yr old draft prospect Gregor Glas have seen mins cut down last few games) so maybe Madar would benefit from leaving partizan.

Madar is shooting 43.4% from 3 on the season though, which is obviously really good.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Today's game was againt Pau, 3rd in the league. Begarin helped key a 10-0 start with a couple buckets. First he faked a corner three to let the defender fly by, then took a dribble in and swished the mid range jumper. Then he took a steal the length of the floor for the easy finish.

He came back in the second quarter and immediately missed corner three. Made two good defensive plays in a row by stopping a three on one break with a block at the rim then on the very next possession he battled the opposing center for position, got in front and deflected the entry pass. Unfortunately he got called for a BS foul each time. That meant he missed the rest of the half because of foul trouble. Remember that 10-0 lead ? With Begarin mostly absent, it turned into a 50-38 deficit at half time.

Begarin started the second half with a turnover when he got stripped by a double team. He made up for it with a nice drive and layup. He turned up the intensity level by picking up full court, forcing a steal and getting a dunk. He also added a putback. The rest of the quarter was more difficult with a missed turnaround in the post, a missed three at the end of the shot clock and a charge (questionable call, the defender never got set but whatever).

He didn't do much in the beginning of the fourth besides missing a runner from three when he got the ball with like a second on the clock and a turnover on a pass where he tried to lead Sleva to an open spot but the ball was too far in front. To be fair he didn't come out between the beginning of the second half and six minutes left in the fourth and he was clearly winded by the end of his stint. Also worth noting, during his time on the court, Paris had cut the deficit to three.

That meant we had a back and forth during the rest of the quarter and buckle up it's a wild, wild one. I mean when a banked in three by Kyle O'Quinn with a 1:30 left to break a tie is like the fifth weirdest play of the money time you know it's going to be a good one. The Pau point guard came back and tied the game with a step back three. After a Boatright turnover, Begarin came back in with a minute left and the ball to Pau. Toupane forced a deflection, Begarin grabbed the ball and was fouled in transition, so two free throws and the ball (FIBA rules). He swished both free throws which is great because that had been a problem all year. On the following possession, Toupane missed a three. O'Quinn was whistled for a flagrant for throwing a guy on the ground while trying to grab the offensive board (high IQ play right there). The Pau player made both free throws to tie the game. Boatright stripped the Pau point guard when he went up for his shot and instead of pushing for an advantage in transition, he decided to pull the ball out to take the last shot. When Boatright went to drive to the basket, he slipped and was called for a double dribble giving the ball back to Pau with a second left. They couldn't get a good look and the game went to overtime.

Begarin handled the ball a fair amount during overtime and started the period by founding Toupane on a cut who got two free throws. Begarin was called for his fourth questionable foul of the day when he contested a shot and it really didn't look like there was any contact. The problem of course being that with only five fouls allowed in FIBA rules he had to be a lot more careful. The game looked like it was going to settle down when Begarin had an hockey assist on their best passing sequence of the game that ended up with a Toupane layup and Paris up 5 with a minute and a half remaining.

So of course Pau goes down the floor and banks in a three. Toupane then chose this moment to forget how to dribble, gave the ball away and committed his fifth foul to prevent the layup. But the free throws were made and the game was tied again. After being ignored/out of the game for the last ten minutes, Kamagate decided he wasn't going to do another aimless dribble handoff. He was like enough already, I'm dunking this. He took off from the free throw line and the defense gave the hard foul to prevent the dunk. He made one of two. Begarin secured the board in traffic after a Pau miss and with 10 seconds left, he was sent to the line. He missed the first but made the second to put Paris up two. The players from Pau dribbled the ball up the court and threw up a wild shot that didn't even catch the rim. In fact it bounced of the glass directly into the hand of a Pau player who just had to lay it in to send the game to a second overtime. And he blew it.

I have no idea what I just watched.

Boxscore: https://www.lnb.fr/elite/game-center-resume/?id=23983

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Today's game was an ugly loss against Le Portel (last place team but they blew out Paris the first time around). Shout out to Fred Weiss who did the commentary for rightfully trashing O'Quinn's defense all game. I wished we that NBA commentators would be as honest as he was.

The game got stopped after ten seconds because the clock didn't start and also the score was 8-0 Paris for some reason. It took 25 minutes before the clock issues were resolved and the game got underway. As expected both team started a bit cold as a result with Begarin in particualr missing a layup in transition and a baseline jumper. He did get going by doing a good job in the passing lanes and getting a steal. He got his first assist in transition by finding an open shooter in the corner. He also had a nice reverse layup in transition to avoid the defender. Paris was really looking to push in transition and Begarin turned the ball over by passing too far in front of Sleva. He had a nice crosscourt skip pass to find an open shooter in the opposite corner but the shot was bricked. He came back as a defensive substitution for the last possession of the first quarter which makes sense considering he is like one of three players on the roster who tries to guard the other team.

During his second quarter stint he had a couple of passes to find open teammates in the corner who promptly bricked the shots. He also missed a pull up three out of a pick and roll. He had an instance where he was fouled in transition but it was called on the floor so he didn't get any free throws. His best defensive possession of the quarter was holding up the Portel center (who really is a big guy) to force an awkward angle on the entry pass which made it very easy for Kamagate to come over for the interception.

Begarin started the second half with a travel when he took too many steps before putting the ball on the floor while driving a closeout. He immediately made up for it on the other end with a steal. He brought the ball up and fed O'Quinn underneath who proceeded to lose the ball while going up for the layup. Begarin made a corner three in transition. He had another catch and shoot three but that one was wiped off for an illegal screen from Allman (completely unnecessary too, Begarin had more than enough room to get his shot off). On a baseline out of bounds, Begarin fed Kamagate for the dunk.

The Paris coach finally put Begarin back in with 4:30 left and Paris down 60-51. I guess he could have put Begarin back in sooner but then they would have had a real shot at winning the game (he ended up playing 22/40 minutes despite zero foul trouble, good job on th rotations there). He missed a rushed three down five with 1:40 left. On the following possession he forced an airball with a good closeout. He had a nice lob to O'Quinn which he should have dunked but he took too long to gather the ball so he got fouled instead. With the game out of reach in the last few seconds, a Portel player fouled Begarin for no reason and since Paris was in the penalty, he went to the line. He made one of two.

Boxscore: https://www.lnb.fr/elite/game-center-resume/?id=23990

TL;DR: This was Begarin's best passing game of the season. It doesn't show up in the boxscore because his teammates bricked everything but it was clear progress on that end. Now if only the coach would let him run the offense instead of letting his teammates go through the entire repertoire of turnovers and forced isolations they might actually get somewhere.

[Elrod is Back]

Again, thank you for the report. My sense is that you are quite keen on Begarin as an NBA prospect. Does he need two more years of seasoning--in Europe or the G-League--before he can be a viable contributor?

You see him as a point guard I gather. With his defensive chops it sounds like he is similar to Marcus Smart.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Again, thank you for the report. My sense is that you are quite keen on Begarin as an NBA prospect. Does he need two more years of seasoning--in Europe or the G-League--before he can be a viable contributor?

You see him as a point guard I gather. With his defensive chops it sounds like he is similar to Marcus Smart.

Usually with late second round picks there are multiple things that can stop them from becoming NBA players and only one way they'll become rotation players (that tends to mean becoming elite at their one core skill). But what I like about Begarin is that it's kind of the opposite. There are multiple ways he can establish himself as a NBA contributor but only one real scenario where he fails. That's if his outside shot never develops. I'm advocating getting him over as soon as possible because getting him used to the NBA line and working with NBA shooting coaches early is going to minimize the chances he develops bad habits. Now I'm well aware that the Celtics priorities this summer are bigger than finding a roster spot for a late second round pick so that might not happen but it's what I'd like to see in a vacuum.

To be clear, there's a lot of work to be done on that shot (as illustrated by his very poor free throw shooting). Considering how deprived of shooting the Celtics are, it's going to be tough finding minutes for him at first. But there's some reason for optimism in that he'll get easier shots with the Celtics (a lot of his threes right now are contested late clock attempts after his teammates drain the shotclock doing nothing). I've also seen him take a few threes coming off screens or pulling up against drop coverage in the pick and roll and those aren't easy attempts. Right now he's not making them, but just the fact that he's attempting them means he makes them in practice so that is encouraging.

I don't see him as a traditional point guard in the let him bring up the ball and start every possession with a pick and roll sense. The reason I'm advocating him doing it for Paris is that the two starting guards are absolutely clueless in term of running an offense. They are big time shotmakers (at that level) but in the long run, creating easy shots is more important than making tough shots at a higher than average rate (because they're still tough shots).

I do think he'll be able to handle secondary playmaking duties at the NBA level. He's unselfish and he shows good vision but he needs to work on the accuracy of his passes. Now there's a chance that he really pops with a more spread out floor and better screeners. He's built like a tank so guards in the NBA aren't going to bump him off his line. He's also quick enough to get by a lot of forwards off the dribble so he might become a mismatch problem but that will require making enough shots to force the defense to go over screens. So we came back to square one, he needs an outside shot.

Smart should be a good mentor for him. I actually think Smart is a better comp on offense. Defensively, if I had to find an equivalent in term of playing style on the Celtics, it would probably Langford. Strong, long guys that are hard to move but yet quick enough to check small ballhandlers and also have solid instincts.

[Elrod is Back]

killer answer. Thanks.

[Curmudgeon]

I like the fact that Begarin wanted to come in and play in Summer league. And he played very well. His fundamentals are sound.
I see the comp as Jaylen Brown, who couldn't shoot when he was at Cal. Like Brown, Begarin has an NBA body even at age 19.

[Larry_Russell]

Feeling to me like Begarin and Hauser will be our 3rd string forwards next season with the potential to grow into the backup role.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

I like the fact that Begarin wanted to come in and play in Summer league. And he played very well. His fundamentals are sound.
I see the comp as Jaylen Brown, who couldn't shoot when he was at Cal. Like Brown, Begarin has an NBA body even at age 19.

Yes that's what really sold me on the pick. Not only did he want to play but once he got there he had a great attitude. He could have easily tried to force the issue to put up numbers and increase his chance of getting a contract but instead he was playing team ball (making extra passes, hustling on defense, etc.). That's pretty impressive maturity for one of the youngest players in the draft.

Not just Brown but Rozier and to some extent Langford too are guys that learned to shoot once on the Celtics roster. Hoping for a similar development.

[Elrod is Back]

Smart2Nesmith,

I'd be interested in your take on Madar, since you seem to know Euroball well. Is he as strong a prospect as Begarin?

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Smart2Nesmith,

I'd be interested in your take on Madar, since you seem to know Euroball well. Is he as strong a prospect as Begarin?

I haven't watched full games from Madar yet so I'm not nearly as well informed but based on physical tools alone, he has a much lower ceiling than Begarin. He's fairly skinny and I don't think he can add that much muscle on his frame. He doesn't seem super explosive either but there's a lot to like from a skills standpoint.

First off, I love that he went to play for Obradovic, the best coach in Europe (arguably the world). For those that don't know, he's the most decorated coach in Euroleague history with 9 titles with 5 different teams and in term of playing style he's all about team basketball. If you don't play with enough intensity on defense, doesn't matter if you are the biggest star on the team, he'll bench you. If you force a contested shot instead of finding the open teammate, doesn't matter if it goes in and it's a gamewinner, you'll see less minutes the next game. Can't think of anybody better to teach good habits to a young player. He is absolutely in the best environment for his development going up in practice against guys like Kurucs, Lessort, Zagorac and Smailagic who are all recent second rounds that couldn't make it in the league but aren't that far from being NBA players.

Since the draft Madar has shot above 40% from deep on three attempts per game in three different leagues with two different teams along with 80%+ from the line so the shot looks legit. He's probably the Celtics best passer the moment he gets signed. If he can hold his own against NBA athletes and the shot translates to the longer line, he should spend quite a few years as a backup point guard somewhere in the league. He's really scrappy so I wouldn't bet against him.

After Stevens cleaned out the back end of the roster, and with the first round pick gone, I expect both those guys will get a chance in camp this summer.

[Hal14]

Recent game highlights:

Watch on YouTube

Tough loss. Paris Basketball lost by 3 in the closing seconds.

Some nice plays by Begarin in this video:
Sick drive and dish to big man (Kamagate) for the dunk
5:47 sick block!
6:50 nice pass to cutter for and-1 layup. had a tight window to fit the pass into but he did it!

Some observations on begarin from this as well as other games I've seen this season:

-He's not a ball dominant guy. He's a ball mover. Gets the ball and makes a quick decision - really quickly either shooting it, driving it or passing it. He's a connector, a complimentary piece. Really tries to play his role, play within himself and fit within the team concept
-Can score here and there but it seems like his best attributes are his defense and his passing (for a non-PG he seems to be a really good passer, especially for a dude who's only 19)
-I think the shot and more moves off the dribble will come with time/development. But he's got a nice foundation to build off of with the defense, passing along with a strong, NBA-ready frame, good hustle/effort/tenacity, good work ethic along with being a non-ball dominant ball mover who accepts his role and fits within team concept
-Looks like he can defend 1-4 pretty well too

Lastly, i'll just add that Langford being traded obviously bodes well for Begarin's chances of being on the celtics roster next season.

[Elrod is Back]

Smart2Nesmith,

I'd be interested in your take on Madar, since you seem to know Euroball well. Is he as strong a prospect as Begarin?

I haven't watched full games from Madar yet so I'm not nearly as well informed but based on physical tools alone, he has a much lower ceiling than Begarin. He's fairly skinny and I don't think he can add that much muscle on his frame. He doesn't seem super explosive either but there's a lot to like from a skills standpoint.

First off, I love that he went to play for Obradovic, the best coach in Europe (arguably the world). For those that don't know, he's the most decorated coach in Euroleague history with 9 titles with 5 different teams and in term of playing style he's all about team basketball. If you don't play with enough intensity on defense, doesn't matter if you are the biggest star on the team, he'll bench you. If you force a contested shot instead of finding the open teammate, doesn't matter if it goes in and it's a gamewinner, you'll see less minutes the next game. Can't think of anybody better to teach good habits to a young player. He is absolutely in the best environment for his development going up in practice against guys like Kurucs, Lessort, Zagorac and Smailagic who are all recent second rounds that couldn't make it in the league but aren't that far from being NBA players.

Since the draft Madar has shot above 40% from deep on three attempts per game in three different leagues with two different teams along with 80%+ from the line so the shot looks legit. He's probably the Celtics best passer the moment he gets signed. If he can hold his own against NBA athletes and the shot translates to the longer line, he should spend quite a few years as a backup point guard somewhere in the league. He's really scrappy so I wouldn't bet against him.

After Stevens cleaned out the back end of the roster, and with the first round pick gone, I expect both those guys will get a chance in camp this summer.

Thanks for the valuable scouting report. I suspect the Cs will find room for Madar and Begarin next season, with the expectation that they will spend most of their time in Maine. Since Brad looks to be in the trade no. 1 picks for veterans mode, these will be our youth projects.

I would not be surprised if Brad makes another international pick with our second rounder this year, and then stashes the guy for a year or two. He seems to be going full San Antonio.

[Ed Pinkney]

No first round pick in this years draft may increase the likelihood they think about bringing him over for next season. At least to give him another run in Summer League.