Hapoel Tel Aviv lost the Israeli League final series 3-1 to Maccabi Tel Aviv and will keep waiting for its first championship since 1969. The team reached the decisive stretch without its MVP Elijah Bryant and without another leading guard, Antonio Blakeney, leaving room for 25-year-old guard Yam Madar to step up.
Madar, who saw limited minutes in the EuroLeague, averaged just 3.1 points and 1.4 assists in under 10 minutes per game in Europe’s top competition. In the Israeli playoffs, though, he arrived with something to prove and delivered a huge postseason: 19.6 points and 5.6 assists over nine playoff games, both averages posted in 32 minutes a night, and the most points on Hapoel Tel Aviv.
For comparison, former EuroLeague MVP and Hapoel’s highest-paid player Vasilije Micic averaged 16.8 points and 5.6 assists in the playoffs, but dropped to 13.5 points and 6 assists in the final series. Against Maccabi Tel Aviv, Madar produced 19.2 points and 8 assists per game, while the final-series MVP, Iffe Lundberg, finished with 17.5 points and 4 assists.
Madar now enters what could be the most important summer of his career. After recovering from a nagging injury, he has shown he can carry a high-ambition team, including one with EuroLeague goals. His contract includes an exit clause worth several hundred thousand shekels, and there is reported interest from clubs in Israel and Europe. At 25, he is at a crucial turning point.
