Georgia Basketball: Former UGA Great, Yante Maten Signs With Celtics
Yante Maten is arguably one of the best players that Georgia fans have seen in this current decade.
Averaging 14.7 PPG throughout is career, Maten was a machine in the red and black. He was also a two-time All-SEC recipient and a co-winner of the 2018 SEC Player of the Year award.
After a stellar career at Georgia, fans were baffled to see Maten go undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft.
However, he was soon scooped up by the Miami Heat, where he spent most of his 2018-2019 season in the G-League.
After nearly averaging a double-double through 30 starts with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Maten signed a guaranteed, multi-year deal with the Heat in April.
Then at the end of July, the Miami Heat shocked most of their fans and all of the Bulldog Nation when the front office decided to release Maten from the team.
It was a tough break for a guy who's more than worthy and deserving of an NBA roster spot.
Now, it looks like Maten is going to get another shot, even though his first audition was more than good enough to earn a roster spot.
This time, he's going to have to work even harder. Maten will join 21 other guys as part of the Boston Celtics training camp roster, with only 15 guys making the cut.
With most of the spots already locked up, it seems that Maten will be competing with G-League stand-out, Kaiser Gates, Javonte Green, and 7'7 center, Tacko Fall for the last spot.
NBA fans seem to think Tacko Fall is the man to beat, and it's reasonable to think, given he would be the tallest guy in the entire league.
However, it looks like the Celtics could be looking for depth at the forward position rather than center. The only two forwards on this list are Gates and Maten, making the odds more in Maten's favor.
We'll keep an eye on how this battle goes, but at a minimum, the Celtics can option Maten to play in the G-League. This would then allow him to continue to develop and "try-out" for the other 29 NBA teams in the meantime.
