NBA Draft: Who is Malik Beasley?

The Bad

The big question with Beasley is all that scoring is great, but can he do it in the NBA? Not just can he do it in the NBA, but can he create for himself at the NBA level or be relegated to just a shooter?

Three of Beasley’s worst games last year came against three of the best teams on his schedule — at Duke (nine points on 4-for-13 shooting), Miami (six points on 2-for-10 shooting) and Notre Dame (four points on 1-for-8 shooting).

Every freshman is allowed his bad games but the trend seemed to continue. In games that really mattered against good teams, Beasley did not shine the brightest.Florida State fell short of the NCAA Tournament in his lone year and that does not reflect well on its leading scorer if scoring was his thing.

This is why someone who seems to have such a natural scoring touch is not getting talked about seriously in the Lottery. He is likely a late-first round pick or just outside the Lottery.

This becomes even worse because his skills outside of his scoring and shooting are not as good.

Beasley is not known as a good defender at all. At 6-foot-5, 190 pounds, Beasley would have to put on some muscle to compete defensively with the best guards. But even on that point, he lacks the length and discipline on defense to be effective.

He has the tools too which is the frustrating part.

It seems like he is a bit antsy and overcommits to ball denials. Beasley has the bad habit of going for steals. that can sometimes be rewarding, but can also be embarrassing if a player misses. Beasley missed a lot, averaging less than a steal per game.

This could be something a young player does, and he can grow out of it and learn defensive principles in the right situation.

Beasley is also not a perfect offensive player either. He is not going to create for others particularly well and despite his scoring efficiency and prowess, he can get himself stuck and trapped with his dribble.

He was a late bloomer on the college scene and so did not participate in any of the major camps. Playing at Florida State, he largely stayed out of the limelight and then struggled against the best competition he had.

The question remains whether he can take that step up.

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