Welcome to Virtual Boston, Juhann Begarin!

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Begarin had a game against Hapoel Tel Aviv in EuroCup on Wednesday. He was just 2/7 from two point land but he did make 3 of 8 threes and went 2/2 from the line so his outside shot looked good at least.

The boxscore: https://parisbasketball.paris/boxscore/paris-hapoel-sp-tel-aviv-19-oct-2022/#

Begarin and Paris played against Pau today and held on for their first league win of the season.

He looks so much more confident than last year and he has better timing on defensive rotations. He didn't get too many ball handling responsabilities becuase the team went to the Allman/Kamagate pick and roll over and over (an you can't blame them considering the amount of times Kamagate rolled to the rim uncontested). Overall, it was a pretty frustrating night with a couple of shots that were halfway down before popping out, his teammates missing him a couple of times in transition and couldn't cash in at least three nice extra passes from Begarin. Among his highlights, he also made a DEEP three and a couple of and ones in transition. He went 2/2 from the line today so he is up to 10/10 for the season after making 56% last year.

The boxscore: https://www.lnb.fr/elite/game-center-resume/?id=25139

[Half-Full]

So far we have not heard whether or not Juhann will be returning to Paris Basketball in the LNB Pro A league. If he does, however, he will be facing off against old friend Tremont Waters, who has signed with Metropolitans 92 in the same league. It will be interesting to follow Tremont's progress with Metropolitans 92.

Tremont had a team high score of 26 points in the 10/15 OT victory over Le Mans. Yup, outscored Wembayana. One of his teammates has an interesting name, Steeve Ho You Fat (from French Guiana - his paternal grandfather was an immigrant from China).

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Nice game from Begarin sunday after a couple rough outings: https://www.lnb.fr/elite/game-center-resume/?id=25158
14 points on 6/10 shooting (2/4 from three), 5 rebounds, 5 assists

Paris signed Jeremy Evans recently (former NBA dunk contest champion) so Begarin's situation is in a bit of flux right now. Sometimes he starts, sometimes he comes off the bench. Hopefully he'll be able to lock down his starting spot as the season advances.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Begarin is on the 12 player roster to play Lithunia tomorrow (6:30PM here in France, substract 6 hours to get Boston time) with his teammates Toupane and Kamagate. Should he enter the game, that will be his first game for the senior team. This will also be Wembanyama's national team debut. Get hyped !

As an aside, Kamagate who I was advocating for in the draft thread last year, has been the second best player in the french league this year. I guess the Nuggets really know how to pick those draft and stash centers.

[FlatearthZorro]

Nice game from Begarin sunday after a couple rough outings: https://www.lnb.fr/elite/game-center-resume/?id=25158
14 points on 6/10 shooting (2/4 from three), 5 rebounds, 5 assists

Paris signed Jeremy Evans recently (former NBA dunk contest champion) so Begarin's situation is in a bit of flux right now. Sometimes he starts, sometimes he comes off the bench. Hopefully he'll be able to lock down his starting spot as the season advances.

We should definitely bring him in next season and give him a roster spot. I think he earned it this year, but I'm not sure if he would've gotten minutes. Juhan/Hauser/Grant is a fairly, add Derrick and that's a pretty good 4 man combo.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Not much to report from the game. Begarin wasn't task with too much responsabilities during the game. He got one opportunity as a ball handler in the pick and roll but Kamagate set a moving screen so that never developed. He also had a missed contested three as the shot clock was winding down.

He was pretty good defensively including a nice steal to trigger a two on one which he concluded with a nice dish to a teammate for the layup. He got most of his time on the floor in garbage time (Francisco made a bunch of threes and the game got out of hand fairly quickly with Lithuania getting nothing going offensively against Wembanyama). By then Lithuania had gone to a 2-3 zone and Begarin had a really nice baseline cut behind the defense but he missed the reverse layup. He also did a good job of getting the ball quickly to the man in the middle of the zone.

Of course I have to mention his only basket which was probably one of the highlights of the game. He got way upthere for the alley oop dunk with the foul (missed the free throw though). Next game against Bosnia on monday.

[Hal14]

Not much to report from the game. Begarin wasn't task with too much responsabilities during the game. He got one opportunity as a ball handler in the pick and roll but Kamagate set a moving screen so that never developed. He also had a missed contested three as the shot clock was winding down.

He was pretty good defensively including a nice steal to trigger a two on one which he concluded with a nice dish to a teammate for the layup. He got most of his time on the floor in garbage time (Francisco made a bunch of threes and the game got out of hand fairly quickly with Lithuania getting nothing going offensively against Wembanyama). By then Lithuania had gone to a 2-3 zone and Begarin had a really nice baseline cut behind the defense but he missed the reverse layup. He also did a good job of getting the ball quickly to the man in the middle of the zone.

Of course I have to mention his only basket which was probably one of the highlights of the game. He got way upthere for the alley oop dunk with the foul (missed the free throw though). Next game against Bosnia on monday.

Good experience for him to play with the national team!

[Smart2Nesmith43]

First off, and I'm aware it's not exactly breaking news but Wembanyama is absolutely ridiculous. I understand that people are more excited by what he does offensively but the way he impacts the game defensively is so special.

Begarin was the first player off the bench against Bosnia. He scored on his first touch with a nice fadeaway from the midrange with the foul (missed the free throw unfortunately). He followed that up with a nice baseline drive and reverse lay-up. He had a great defensive possession where he picked up full court to blow up the initial set and then grabbed the steal when the ball swung back to his man and took it all the way for the breakaway slam. That capped a Begarin fueled run that forced a Bosnia time out.

During the second quarter, he showed some nice hustle to get on the ground to pick up a loose ball. With the defense out of position, he immediately converted it into a dunk. He finally missed a shot with a catch and shoot three that was a little strong but he again hustled to save the offensive board before it went out of bounds. He also had a very nice crossover where he sent his man the wrong way, and later in the possession he cut backdoor to get an uncontested layup which forced another timeout.

As a result of his good first half he started the second. He didn't get as many opportunities defensively as a result but he drew a (non shooting) foul in transition and kept playing good defense.

Begarin came back in with less than 4 minutes to play and the game already decided but kept playing hard. He brought a timely double to force a very tough shot, grabbed the rebound and pushed the pace to feed an uncontested layup in transition to a teammate. He had another cut where he got behind the defense. This time he got fouled and sank both free throws. He then nailed a three and a tough layup (should have been an and one but with France up thirty plus points and thirty seconds left the referees let the contact go) to close out the game.

He was the second best player of the game by a fairly big margin. 17 points on 7/8 shooting (1/2 from three) and 2/3 from the line. 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and only 1 turnover with very good defense. With the win, France sealed their place at the World Cup so hopefully we'll see Begarin there too.

Boxscore: https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/european-qualifiers/game/1411/France-Bosnia-and-Herzegovina#tab=boxscore

[Hal14]

First off, and I'm aware it's not exactly breaking news but Wembanyama is absolutely ridiculous. I understand that people are more excited by what he does offensively but the way he impacts the game defensively is so special.

Begarin was the first player off the bench against Bosnia. He scored on his first touch with a nice fadeaway from the midrange with the foul (missed the free throw unfortunately). He followed that up with a nice baseline drive and reverse lay-up. He had a great defensive possession where he picked up full court to blow up the initial set and then grabbed the steal when the ball swung back to his man and took it all the way for the breakaway slam. That capped a Begarin fueled run that forced a Bosnia time out.

During the second quarter, he showed some nice hustle to get on the ground to pick up a loose ball. With the defense out of position, he immediately converted it into a dunk. He finally missed a shot with a catch and shoot three that was a little strong but he again hustled to save the offensive board before it went out of bounds. He also had a very nice crossover where he sent his man the wrong way, and later in the possession he cut backdoor to get an uncontested layup which forced another timeout.

As a result of his good first half he started the second. He didn't get as many opportunities defensively as a result but he drew a (non shooting) foul in transition and kept playing good defense.

Begarin came back in with less than 4 minutes to play and the game already decided but kept playing hard. He brought a timely double to force a very tough shot, grabbed the rebound and pushed the pace to feed an uncontested layup in transition to a teammate. He had another cut where he got behind the defense. This time he got fouled and sank both free throws. He then nailed a three and a tough layup (should have been an and one but with France up thirty plus points and thirty seconds left the referees let the contact go) to close out the game.

He was the second best player of the game by a fairly big margin. 17 points on 7/8 shooting (1/2 from three) and 2/3 from the line. 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and only 1 turnover with very good defense. With the win, France sealed their place at the World Cup so hopefully we'll see Begarin there too.

Boxscore: https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/european-qualifiers/game/1411/France-Bosnia-and-Herzegovina#tab=boxscore

Wow. That's very encouraging. Sounds like a hell of a game for Juhann. Strong showing for us at summer league, then he had that big 28 point game in his first game for Paris this season, now this.

Juhann seems to really making some strides and is developing nicely. Good to see!

[playa-hater]

Begarin just needs to become a confident and productive shooter IMO. He already has the Body, strength and athleticism. Passes well. Attacks the Rim fearlessly at times. I hope he can become what I had Hoped Romeo could be.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

Watch on YouTube

Timestamps of Begarin doing stuff:
0:57
1:48
2:05
6:55
7:12

[Larry_Russell]

Begarin just needs to become a confident and productive shooter IMO. He already has the Body, strength and athleticism. Passes well. Attacks the Rim fearlessly at times. I hope he can become what I had Hoped Romeo could be.

I want more from him that that. Cause I expected a complete flop from Romeo.

Begarin should be a nic batum level of player, imo.

(Not making the comparison because he is French)

Defense - YUP
Passing - YUP
Handle - YUP
Size - YUPP

Just needs that ~40% shooting from deep

[Hal14]

Begarin just needs to become a confident and productive shooter IMO. He already has the Body, strength and athleticism. Passes well. Attacks the Rim fearlessly at times. I hope he can become what I had Hoped Romeo could be.

I want more from him that that. Cause I expected a complete flop from Romeo.

Begarin should be a nic batum level of player, imo.

(Not making the comparison because he is French)

Defense - YUP
Passing - YUP
Handle - YUP
Size - YUPP

Just needs that ~40% shooting from deep

Batum is much bigger, though. He's 6'8", 230 lbs. Begarin is 6'5" and 185 lbs. Batum plays mostly the 4 and some at the 5 for the clippers.

Begarin is a combo 2/3 type of guy..

[Larry_Russell]

Begarin just needs to become a confident and productive shooter IMO. He already has the Body, strength and athleticism. Passes well. Attacks the Rim fearlessly at times. I hope he can become what I had Hoped Romeo could be.

I want more from him that that. Cause I expected a complete flop from Romeo.

Begarin should be a nic batum level of player, imo.

(Not making the comparison because he is French)

Defense - YUP
Passing - YUP
Handle - YUP
Size - YUPP

Just needs that ~40% shooting from deep

Batum is much bigger, though. He's 6'8", 230 lbs. Begarin is 6'5" and 185 lbs. Batum plays mostly the 4 and some at the 5 for the clippers.

Begarin is a combo 2/3 type of guy..

Batum came in at 6-8 210
Begarin is 6-6 215

Batum only in the past couple of seasons has played at PF. HE spent the first decade of his career as a wing

[threrf23]

He actually reminds me a bit of Boris Diaw. Before anyone cries out that it's a ridiculous comparison, Diaw entered the league as a skinny guard and took time to catch on because he was rather raw offensively (tho a decent passer). Granted Diaw was a few inches taller and posted better stats around the same age (in LNB Pro A). Diaw couldn't really hit jump shots as a younger NBA player, tho he had shot 40% (on lowish quantity) from 3 against lesser competition in France.

"Summary: He's really a 6-foot-9 pass-first old school point guard. He'll never average more than 12 to 15 ppg in the league, but he'll get you five or six rebounds and five or six assists per game. He's probably a mid-to-late first-rounder."

http://www.espn.com/nba/draft/d05/tracker/player?playerId=78465

[sam_I_am]

He actually reminds me a bit of Boris Diaw. Before anyone cries out that it's a ridiculous comparison, Diaw entered the league as a skinny guard and took time to catch on because he was rather raw offensively (tho a decent passer). Granted Diaw was a few inches taller and posted better stats around the same age (in LNB Pro A). Diaw couldn't really hit jump shots as a younger NBA player, tho he had shot 40% (on lowish quantity) from 3 against lesser competition in France.

"Summary: He's really a 6-foot-9 pass-first old school point guard. He'll never average more than 12 to 15 ppg in the league, but he'll get you five or six rebounds and five or six assists per game. He's probably a mid-to-late first-rounder."

http://www.espn.com/nba/draft/d05/tracker/player?playerId=78465

I’d like to see him develop like Terence Davis.

[Smart2Nesmith43]

I'm sorry but it is a ridiculous comparison. The Batum one is not much better. Their games are completely different. Nobody would make those connections if they didn't share a nationality but that has no impact on their basketball ability.

Begarin's best attributes: athleticism, good slasher and defensive switchability
Batum's best attributes: length, shooting and feel for the game
Diaw's best attributes: feel for the game, leadership and strength

If you want to make a comp for Begarin that Celtics fan will relate too, just pick early career Jaylen. Now obviously early Jaylen was in a different tier as a player and was a better shooter and Begarin probably has a better feel for the game but at least we are talking about players in a similar mold.

[Hal14]

I'm sorry but it is a ridiculous comparison. The Batum one is not much better. Their games are completely different. Nobody would make those connections if they didn't share a nationality but that has no impact on their basketball ability.

Begarin's best attributes: athleticism, good slasher and defensive switchability
Batum's best attributes: length, shooting and feel for the game
Diaw's best attributes: feel for the game, leadership and strength

If you want to make a comp for Begarin that Celtics fan will relate too, just pick early career Jaylen. Now obviously early Jaylen was in a different tier as a player and was a better shooter and Begarin probably has a better feel for the game but at least we are talking about players in a similar mold.

I'm not sure Jaylen was a better shooter at the same age, either.

This season is too small of a sample size. If we look at least season for Begarin, he shot 31% from 3 at age 19. When Jaylen was 19, that was his freshman year of college - he shot 29% from 3.

Now, Jaylen has demonstrated outlier-good work ethic since entering the NBA, enabling him to become an all-star and a very good shooter. It would be unfair to Begarin to expect the same thing - especially since Jaylen was a top 3 pick and begarin was a mid 2nd rounder. But even if Begarin ends up being a poor man's Jaylen, he could end up being a steal for the celtics long term.

[threrf23]

I'm sorry but it is a ridiculous comparison. The Batum one is not much better. Their games are completely different. Nobody would make those connections if they didn't share a nationality but that has no impact on their basketball ability.

Begarin's best attributes: athleticism, good slasher and defensive switchability
Batum's best attributes: length, shooting and feel for the game
Diaw's best attributes: feel for the game, leadership and strength

If you want to make a comp for Begarin that Celtics fan will relate too, just pick early career Jaylen. Now obviously early Jaylen was in a different tier as a player and was a better shooter and Begarin probably has a better feel for the game but at least we are talking about players in a similar mold.

Not to get caught up in semantics - but as a draft prospect, Diaw was considered highly athletic, quick, and a versatile defender who lacked physical strength. He was skinnier than Begarin, weighed less but was taller! Begarin isn't real close to being the player that Diaw became, but everything you listed as Begarin's best attributes were listed amongst Diaw's best attributes when he was the same age. Yes Diaw was known for his IQ, feel for the game, and was a better passer if not also a better defender, but passing and defense are still amongst Begarin's greater strengths as a player.

https://web.archive.org/web/20030628052813/http://nbadraft.net/profiles/borisdiaw.htm

[31to6]

sticking with Celtics comparisons rather than guys-who-speak-French comparisons, the guy Juhann reminds me a bit of (and I say this with the hope that he rests in peace, and sadness because he was one of my favorites ever) is Reggie Lewis.

Obviously with more 3 ball and less midrange because of the way the game has changed, but wiry/lanky playmakers who are basically unanticipated 'walk ons' to highly successful Celtics teams.