Minnesota Timberwolves player poised for a breakout: Malik Beasley
Malik Beasley has already shown signs of being a second or third option when given the chance. He will undoubtedly be able to show how impactful he can be when handed an extended opportunity next season.
As noted in a previous piece about Beasley, he showed significant improvement after his trade to Minnesota.
"When Beasley came to the Wolves from the Denver Nuggets, his role immediately grew. The more minutes he received, the more you could see how talented he really is. In the 14 games Beasley played with Minnesota, he averaged over 20 points per game — nine more than his best season with Denver. While it’s a small sample size, it’s obvious that Beasley has the talent to potentially be a third-wheel behind Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell."
Beasley immediately got better when he joined the Wolves largely because of his playing time increase, and if this trend continues he will only get better. Not only that, but the Wolves play at a much faster pace than Denver, so Beasley was able to showcase how dangerous he can be in the open floor.
Also, don’t forget that Beasley is a restricted free agent. It remains to be seen how much he’ll demand on the open market.
"It is becoming more clear that Beasley may ask for a big contract this offseason, but the money he is asking for is money he deserves based on his performance for the Wolves this year. As a restricted free agent, it is important that the Wolves lock up Beasley this offseason."
There is a chance that Beasley asks for a big contract and the Wolves may have to match other offers that he gets. With that being said, it seems worth it to keep him around even if that means sacrificing cap space. Any clear upgrade on Beasley will undoubtedly cost significantly more, and it seems more likely that the Wolves will keep their incumbent.
All that said, there is still some uncertainty about what the team will look like next year, and if any of these player’s roles will change for the 2021 edition of the Minnesota Timberwolves.