Minnesota Timberwolves: Malik Beasley has been a great fit
Newly-acquired Minnesota Timberwolves guard Malik Beasley has already shown why he’s a great fit with the team in the short amount of time he’s played here.
The Minnesota Timberwolves made a massive overhaul of their roster before the February trade deadline that sent out a total of nine players. One of the players they acquired in the four-team deal centered around Robert Covington was shooting guard Malik Beasley.
While the acquisition of D’Angelo Russell stole most of the Timberwolves’ trade deadline headlines, receiving Beasley looks to be a similarly tremendous move for the franchise. At 23 years of age and being a former first round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, there was a still a lot of untapped potential to be found in Beasley and he’s starting to prove it in Minnesota.
During the time he spent with Denver, Beasley played well and was a key piece of the Nuggets’ success. The only issue was that Denver had a lot of depth and there weren’t enough opportunities for him to succeed to his fullest potential.
| Season | Tm | G | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-17 | DEN | 22 | 1 | 7.5 | 1.5 | 3.3 | .452 | 0.4 | 1.3 | .321 | 0.4 | 0.5 | .800 | 0.8 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 3.8 |
| 2017-18 | DEN | 62 | 0 | 9.4 | 1.2 | 2.9 | .410 | 0.5 | 1.3 | .341 | 0.4 | 0.5 | .667 | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 3.2 |
| 2018-19 | DEN | 81 | 18 | 23.2 | 4.3 | 9.1 | .474 | 2.0 | 5.0 | .402 | 0.7 | 0.8 | .848 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 11.3 |
| 2019-20 | TOT | 45 | 4 | 19.6 | 3.4 | 8.3 | .403 | 1.7 | 4.5 | .376 | 0.9 | 1.0 | .870 | 2.2 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 9.3 |
| 2019-20 | DEN | 41 | 0 | 18.2 | 2.9 | 7.3 | .389 | 1.4 | 3.9 | .360 | 0.8 | 0.9 | .868 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 7.9 |
| 2019-20 | MIN | 4 | 4 | 33.5 | 8.5 | 18.5 | .459 | 4.5 | 10.3 | .439 | 1.8 | 2.0 | .875 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 23.3 |
| Career | 210 | 23 | 16.7 | 2.9 | 6.5 | .445 | 1.3 | 3.4 | .385 | 0.6 | 0.7 | .813 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 7.7 | |
| 4 seasons | DEN | 206 | 19 | 16.4 | 2.8 | 6.3 | .444 | 1.3 | 3.3 | .382 | 0.6 | 0.7 | .810 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 7.4 |
| 1 season | MIN | 4 | 4 | 33.5 | 8.5 | 18.5 | .459 | 4.5 | 10.3 | .439 | 1.8 | 2.0 | .875 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 23.3 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/23/2020.
He’s played in just five games for the Wolves thus far, but in that time he’s shown that he fits well with the Timberwolves’ system and long-term plans.
Before coming to Minnesota, the former Seminole started in 19 of the 206 NBA games he suited up in. In five games for the Wolves, he’s had the opportunity to start in all of them.
In that short amount of time he’s averaging 33.5 minutes per game, whereas the most he saw before that was 23.2 during the 2018-19 season. With the increase in minutes, has come an increase in production and he’s averaging 23.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
His shooting percentages might be even more impressive. Beasley’s field goal percentage is currently at 45.9 percent and he’s shooting 43.9 percent from three with Minnesota. What makes the percentages look better is the amount of attempts he’s taking. From three, he’s shooting 10.3 per game while taking 18.5 shots from the field, which is a big uptick from his previous averages in Denver.
Over time those numbers will fluctuate as he plays more in a Timberwolves uniform, but these have all been signs of good things to come.
What he’s done on the court is impressive, but Beasley has shown he’s one of the hardest-working players in the league by showing up the gym more often and before anyone else. This is just one of many examples:
It’s just after 11am in Denver. @nuggets - @Timberwolves tip off at 4pm.
— Vic Lombardi (@VicLombardi) February 23, 2020
Look whose already getting shots up.
Ya think Malik Beasley wants to play well today? pic.twitter.com/5ysnOpqnvu
On top of that, Beasley has shown a lot of energy and will to win games, and that’s the type of character this team needs to help revitalize the franchise.
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With his play improving in Minnesota along with the energy and hard work he’s put in, Beasley has shown that he has a spot on the Minnesota Timberwolves for a long time.