The Boston Celtics have selected an international player in the second round of the NBA Draft in back-to-back years. Standing pat with their 45th overall selection, the Celtics drafted Juhann Begarin out of France.
Begarin is a 19-year-old guard who is listed as 6’6” and holds a wide seven-foot wingspan. He’s played the last two seasons for Paris Basketball – part of France’s best league – finishing second on the team in scoring (11.7) and assists (2.9) per game last season. He also finished with 1.2 steals per game while playing 26 minutes per game over the course of 39 games.
The Boston Celtics are hoping to have a thorough evaluation of their rookie Frenchman guard Juhann Begarin throughout their Summer League run in Las Vegas next week.
With the Celtics already having a boatload of young talent on the roster, it’s fair to assume that similar to Yam Madar coming out of Israel last year, Begarin could be Boston’s next draft-and-stash player coming out of France in another year or so with the idea of him improving areas of his game that the Celtics expect him to focus on.
With Madar, the original plan was to allow him to continue his growth and development while still owning his draft rights. By doing so, Madar became more skilled and sharpened his overall game while becoming one of the best players in the Israeli League. The Celtics could only hope for the same outcome with Begarin.
The Boston Celtics brought in Begarin for a pre-draft workout last week after scouting him for a while throughout the last season. What’s most intriguing about Begarin thus far for Boston is how skilled he is at the guard position for a player of his size. Here’s what President of Basketball Operations, Brad Stevens, had to say about the Frenchman ball handler.
"“We really like Juhann. I think that he’s a guy that’s a big, strong, versatile guard that can guard up with strength and athleticism. He came in for a workout the other day. We got to see him up close and we’ve been paying attention to him for a long time. He has a lot of NBA ready qualities. He’s really strong for his age, a great person, hard worker, and really a great person. We’re excited that he’s part of our organization.” – Brad Stevens, per NBC Sports’ Celtics Talk Podcast"
Depending on how the Celtics look at Begarin in consideration of his positional size, he can play both guard positions in the NBA. Stevens did mention that Begarin has many NBA ready qualities, which mostly come from his athletic stature. Stevens points out that Begarin is big, strong, and versatile for his position, with a strong emphasis on him being a potential threat on the defensive side of the ball.
The Boston Celtics need a pass-first point guard who can average at least five assists per game. For Begarin to run the point, he would have to become more of a distributor being on a team that features the two stars of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Although Begarin’s 2.9 assists per game last year was good for second on his team, that won’t cut it in the NBA for a point guard.
With consideration to Begarin’s size and length, he seemingly fits into more of the shooting guard role in the NBA. His athleticism and length allow him to play an elevated game over the rim, while his skills allow him to maneuver throughout the paint for a fast, downhill pursuit to the basket. It’s exciting to think about Begarin in a catch-and-shoot scenario or an explosive drive to the basket ending in a enormous dunk.
Hear from Brad Stevens on the 2021 NBA Draft, Juhann Begarin’s upside, and the NBA’s tribute to Terrence Clarke. pic.twitter.com/aSbSkbMcic
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) July 30, 2021
On top of it all, Begarin is a great shooter. He connected on 45.6 percent of his shots from the floor and improved as the season progressed on. However, he shot 34.2 percent from behind the arc and a drowning 61.3 percent from the free-throw line. With the Frenchman set to play either guard position in the NBA, it’s fair to say that he will frequently be at the free-throw line and will need to be consistent in doing so.
Overall, Begarin was a player that the Celtics were targeting in the draft. So for him to still be available 45th overall and Stevens not having to trade any future assets to move up to select him, the Boston Celtics are absolutely happy with their lone draft selection for the night. Stevens mentioned that Begarin has all of the qualities to have a successful and long career in the NBA, hopefully, it will be in Boston with the Celtics.