Ghanaian Ben Bentil's NBA dream postponed, pockets $300,000 from Celtics, Pacers
It's been a roller-coaster couple of months for power forward Ben Bentil in his quest to become the first Ghanaian to play in the NBA.
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Bentil has already made history by becoming the first Ghanaian to be selected for an NBA Draft. He went one better when he was picked as the 51st Draft pick by the Boston Celtics.
After his selection, Bentil penned a guaranteed $250,000 rookie-deal but ultimately he was unable to start his NBA career with the Celtics after he was released last Friday.
However, all was not lost for Bentil, because aside the valuable experience of training with an NBA team, he will still receive his $250,000 fee from his rookie deal.
Also, Bentil's talent meant his NBA journey to become the first Ghanaian to play in the NBA has only been postponed after a late lifeline by the Indiana Pacers.
Why the Celtics waived Bentil
The odds were always stacked against Bentil at the Celtics who are rebuilding their squad and have now released six of their eight draft picks since June.
Bentil appeared in three pre-season games for the Celtics, averaging 5.0 points, and 4.3 rebounds in 12.9 minutes per game. He shot just 35.7 percent from the floor and missed all six of his 3-pointers.
His longest outing came in the Celtics’ 121-96 loss to the New York Knicks when he had eight points and six rebounds in 15 minutes on the court.
The verdict from the Celtic is that Bentil needs to get better defensively and is a bit under-sized for a big man while attacking the rim aggressively would improve his game.
Indiana Pacers lifeline
In came the Indiana Pacers with a deal which will ensure that Bentil's dream to play in the NBA will only be postponed for a couple of years but that is only if he is able to impress in the D-League.
The Pacers announced on Monday Morning that they have signed Bentil, a 6feet 9inches free agent forward, to a contract only to farm him out to their D-League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants a couple of hours later.
According to Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports, the contract gave the Pacers Bentil's D-League rights, while the player has also pocketed $50,000 in guaranteed money.
The Pacers who brought in Bentil for a pre-draft workout in June are aware of his talent and will recall him next season if he is able to impress in the lower tier league.
“An opportunity is all everybody needs,” Bentil said Monday. “Going to Fort Wayne would be a blessing and to get to play a little more, to get to show what I can do.”
According to IndyStar.com, the Pacers now expect that sending Bentil to Fort Wayne will put him on a development path that could lead to what Glenn Robinson III has done over the past few seasons.
“Ben came in today and I met him for the first time," coach Nate McMillan said. "That’s a decision that our front office has made, and we know that he’s going to be with our D-League team.”
Fort Wayne Mad Ants optimism
Mad Ants coach Steve Gansey said he has been keeping tabs on Bentil and has watched a couple of his games.
“I think he can be really effective in the D-League, especially with his shooting ability, him playing the four,” said Gansey who welcomed Bentil to the team.
“He’s going to have to learn a whole new system that he’s different from. Just got to continue to get better on the defensive end because you know he can score on the offensive end.”
Gansey and Bentil also both indicated his defense would be an area of focus coming into Fort Wayne, including expanding his knowledge beyond his experience at Providence, a team known for its zone defense.
Additionally, the Pacers hope his time with the Mad Ants familiarizes him with “new concepts” and NBA rules that are different from those in college ball.
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