Malik Beasley

[Lipoli390]

As we talk a lot about the upcoming draft and DLO, but we don't talk much about the other major trade-deadline acquisition, Malik Beasley. As we think about guards we might draft this year, it's worth noting that Beasley might end up a better NBA player in a year or two than any of this year's prospects. Here's what Draft.Net had to say about Beasley back before the 2016 draft:

"Strengths: Energetic/athletic player who gives his all whenever he is on the floor ... Has textbook mechanics on his shot and is a knockdown shooter when open ... Great in the open court and transition ... Aggressively slashes to the rim ... Impressive and explosive athlete ... Can grab the rebound and then lead the fast break ... Plays within himself and efficiently in the half court ... Excellent in catch-and-shoot situations ... Also uses one or two-dribble pull-up jumpers well ... More than just a catch and shoot guy showing improvement in his ability to create shots for himself ... Moves well off the ball often taking advantage of his defender ball watching to cut to the hole for easy points ... Plays with great balance ... Elevation on jump shot helps make up for his lack of size on the wing (only 6'5") ... Capable of highlight finishes at the rim when he gets an opening ... Finishes well in the paint and has a decent floater ... Gives tremendous effort on defense ... Flies around to the ball and is almost always involved in any defensive sequence ..."


Note that, rather than having questions raised about his motor or effort, draft reviews universally praised him for having a high motor and giving maximum effort on both ends fo the court. The only significant weakness I could find in draft reviews of Beasley at the time was his ballhandling. Meanwhile, his stats as a freshman included 15.6 points and 5.3 rebounds. He shot 47% from the field, 38.7% from behind the arc and 83% from the free-throw line. If any of the guard prospects in this year's draft had the same draft review and stat line as Beasley, I think we'd all be excited about the possibility of drafting him.

Although Beasley has had 4 seasons in the NBA, he played significant minutes in only his last two and even in those seasons he was limited to slightly over 20 minutes per game. He's put up solid stats during that time, but at age 23 with limited NBA minutes and only one college season, I'd say he has substantial untapped upside.

The point is this. As we survey the draft landscape for the next all-star caliber player, we might want to take a look at what's right under our collective nose. What that means to me two-fold. First, I think the Wolves need to make every effort to re-sign him. Second, the prospect of re-signing Beasley, along with the potential of Culver, provides another reason to draft Wiseman or Okongwu instead of Edwards or Ball.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

Nobody on the roster outside of Towns or Russell should have any impact on who we take whatsoever. If Rosas says Anthony Edwards is his guy then take him regardless of the fact that we could have Beasley, Culver and Okogie on the same roster with him. You don't draft for fit at the top of the draft because of those 3 guys on your roster. They just aren't good enough for that consideration. You should have to be an all-star caliber player to get that consideration. There's always another Beasley available in this league. If Edwards or Ball or anyone else is the guy identified as an all-star you take them because that's a small segment of players in the league as a whole that you can't just go out and get easily.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

It was so refreshing seeing a guy in a Timberwolves uniform that would just come out firing 3's by the bundle and making a bunch of them. As everyone here knows, this team has had a decade-long struggle in two main facets of the game: Long range shooting and defense. It appears that long-range shooting will no longer be a problem, thanks to KAT, DLO, and Beasley.

On the other hand, Beasley may be the fourth worst defender on the team after DLO, Jauncho, and KAT. Yes, at least he tries. But at the end of the day, he needs to get better on that end like most of the rest of the team does.

[AbeVigodaLive]

I agree with Lip about Beasley being a prized player if in this draft.

Only... he's now a free agent. And all the positives about him are somewhat moot if the Wolves have to significantly overpay for him.

For example... is he good enough to be the 3rd best player on a good playoff team? Because he might be paid like it.

[Hicks123 [enjin:6700838]]

Beasley is certainly someone we have to account for when assessing future.

He is approaching elite status as a 3 point shooter. I haven't seen enough to assess his defensive potential, but his age coupled with his elite shooting should make him a key target for Wolves. As mentioned, he is more than just a catch and shoot guy as well. He is strong in transition, and has some ability to create on his own.

He will not be cheap, and I am OK paying for a guy like this that brings an elite skill we need. Certainly, he is not a max type player, but he will get paid handsomely.

But like others said, is he worth passing up a guy like Edwards IF you think Edwards is a future all-star. I believe there is only 1 question that can answer that.....is Wiseman likely to be equally as good at Center spot. Best case for this team would likely be that Wiseman is as good as advertised (and could drastically improve our team defense), and Beasley fits in as an elite shooter/scorer. I just feel that puts us closer to long term success than adding Edwards to essentially replace Beasley.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

The fact is that assuming we are keeping Beasley to go along with DLO and KAT, that is easily 65-70 fairly efficient points per game. From a pure roster construction standpoint, Ball is redundant with DLO; Wiseman is redundant with KAT; and Edwards is redundant with Beasley. None of these potential top 3 prospects easily slot into a starting role. I know some of us think a Wiseman/KAT combination could be tantalizing, but the fact remains that opposing teams are going to lick their chops putting these two guys int Pick and Roll situations. Wiseman won't be good defensively for at least a couple years.

The second you get beyond those top 3 and into the next 5-8 prospects, you see all sorts of guys that could be excellent role players at more reasonable prices and won't feel entitled to a starting spot based on draft position. Trading out of this pick never made more sense to me than it does now.

[BizarroJerry [enjin:6592520]]

The fact is that assuming we are keeping Beasley to go along with DLO and KAT, that is easily 65-70 fairly efficient points per game. From a pure roster construction standpoint, Ball is redundant with DLO; Wiseman is redundant with KAT; and Edwards is redundant with Beasley. None of these potential top 3 prospects easily slot into a starting role. I know some of us think a Wiseman/KAT combination could be tantalizing, but the fact remains that opposing teams are going to lick their chops putting these two guys int Pick and Roll situations. Wiseman won't be good defensively for at least a couple years.

The second you get beyond those top 3 and into the next 5-8 prospects, you see all sorts of guys that could be excellent role players at more reasonable prices and won't feel entitled to a starting spot based on draft position. Trading out of this pick never made more sense to me than it does now.

Agree with this take.

[Lipoli390]

The fact is that assuming we are keeping Beasley to go along with DLO and KAT, that is easily 65-70 fairly efficient points per game. From a pure roster construction standpoint, Ball is redundant with DLO; Wiseman is redundant with KAT; and Edwards is redundant with Beasley. None of these potential top 3 prospects easily slot into a starting role. I know some of us think a Wiseman/KAT combination could be tantalizing, but the fact remains that opposing teams are going to lick their chops putting these two guys int Pick and Roll situations. Wiseman won't be good defensively for at least a couple years.

The second you get beyond those top 3 and into the next 5-8 prospects, you see all sorts of guys that could be excellent role players at more reasonable prices and won't feel entitled to a starting spot based on draft position. Trading out of this pick never made more sense to me than it does now.

I agree, Q. I've been leaning towards trading down ever since we secured the #1 pick. The defensive pick and roll concern with Wiseman that you identified is another reason I'd prefer Okongwu. Of course, it depends on how convinced you are that Wiseman, Edwards or Ball will become a star. If Rosas concludes that Wiseman and Edwards are equally likely to become NBA stars, neither one ending up significantly better than the other, then I think Wiseman would be the better choice if the Wolves believe they will sign Beasley for a reasonable price. By reasonable price, I mean something at or less than Buddy Hield is getting.

[Lipoli390]

Beasley is certainly someone we have to account for when assessing future.

He is approaching elite status as a 3 point shooter. I haven't seen enough to assess his defensive potential, but his age coupled with his elite shooting should make him a key target for Wolves. As mentioned, he is more than just a catch and shoot guy as well. He is strong in transition, and has some ability to create on his own.

He will not be cheap, and I am OK paying for a guy like this that brings an elite skill we need. Certainly, he is not a max type player, but he will get paid handsomely.

But like others said, is he worth passing up a guy like Edwards IF you think Edwards is a future all-star. I believe there is only 1 question that can answer that.....is Wiseman likely to be equally as good at Center spot. Best case for this team would likely be that Wiseman is as good as advertised (and could drastically improve our team defense), and Beasley fits in as an elite shooter/scorer. I just feel that puts us closer to long term success than adding Edwards to essentially replace Beasley.

Exactly what I was thinking, Hicks.

[Hicks123 [enjin:6700838]]

The fact is that assuming we are keeping Beasley to go along with DLO and KAT, that is easily 65-70 fairly efficient points per game. From a pure roster construction standpoint, Ball is redundant with DLO; Wiseman is redundant with KAT; and Edwards is redundant with Beasley. None of these potential top 3 prospects easily slot into a starting role. I know some of us think a Wiseman/KAT combination could be tantalizing, but the fact remains that opposing teams are going to lick their chops putting these two guys int Pick and Roll situations. Wiseman won't be good defensively for at least a couple years.

The second you get beyond those top 3 and into the next 5-8 prospects, you see all sorts of guys that could be excellent role players at more reasonable prices and won't feel entitled to a starting spot based on draft position. Trading out of this pick never made more sense to me than it does now.

I don't disagree........BUT that makes you wonder how many teams would actually give away assets if this draft is as flat as many think. If no one is convinced they are getting an absolute star at 1, then what does a deal look like? No way do I trade just to save money. If you get the #1 pick, flat draft or not, you do your homework and you take your top guy. In a normal year, where there are 1-2 "perceived" stars, then you can assess trade value. In flat draft, where many think pick 8 is just as likely as pick 1 to get best player in draft, not sure what we can do to generate a deal that betters the Wolves. A while back I was looking at other teams, and I just didn't see many appetizing deals that included a pick and player, which is what I would expect by moving back in draft. I also don't expect teams to be throwing future high draft picks to move up in this particular draft either.

The hope would be that some team absolutely has total man-crush on Edwards, Wiseman or Ball, which is certainly possible as draft nears.