RealGM

TheDominator273 wrote:Malik Beasley should be in the discussion for MIP at least. He is for sure behind Grant but he's showing that his short stint to close the season last year wasn't a fluke.

Malik Beasley is legit

One bright spot in another dreary Minnesota season: Beasley is a legit starter, and not an empty-calories scorer on a bad team. He has been Minnesota’s best offensive player, and probably best player period, outside Karl-Anthony Towns.

Beasley is averaging 20 points and shooting 37.5% from deep. That’s down from last season, but fine considering the volume — almost nine jacks per 36 minutes — and degree of difficulty required in a second-option (and sometimes first-option) role he won’t play on a good team. Minnesota scores just 97.5 points per 100 possessions when Beasley rests, by far the lowest figure on the Wolves.

Beasley carried a rep as something of a gunner, but that hasn’t proved true. He’s a willing passer enjoying a mini-leap in playmaking. Most of that has come in the flow — hit-aheads in transition, extra passes, simple reads that keep the machine churning:

Every team needs plus shooters who make snap decisions. And Beasley can run a workable pick-and-roll in a pinch:

Notice how he freezes the key help defender by turning his gaze toward Ricky Rubio before flicking that no-looker to Reid. (Reid is playing solid two-way basketball. I’m not emotionally prepared to discuss Rubio’s performance.)

Beasley averages about 2.3 assists per game, a career high but nothing special. That’s acceptable for a wing playing next to a ball-dominant point guard, and for a team that ranks in the bottom 10 in shooting percentage from every range. (Seriously: the Wolves are 29th on 3s and shots at the rim, and 27th on midrangers. If they finish last in all three, we are naming that The Minny.)

Beasley’s defense is hit or miss, but he’s turning into a success story for a franchise that needed one.

clyde21 wrote:this is a pretty stacked year for MIP, Grant, Wood, Randle, Sexton and Brown all have good cases for it, i'd even throw Sabonis in there as well

Han Solo wrote:

clyde21 wrote:this is a pretty stacked year for MIP, Grant, Wood, Randle, Sexton and Brown all have good cases for it, i'd even throw Sabonis in there as well

I agree with this post. There has been a ton of improvement this year with a lot of players.

zonedefense wrote:Just looking at the traditional best scorer/playmaker of the bench award of the last few years it´s between THJ, Clarkson and Gordon. If the Heat get back into the playoff picture Dragic is an option as well. Not sure about Lamelo. He might have earned a starting spot. Has anyone ever won ROY and 6th man in the same season?
Talking about impact and defense Allen is probably the most deserving. Not impressed with Lakers Harrell.

DreamTeam09 wrote:

zonedefense wrote:Just looking at the traditional best scorer/playmaker of the bench award of the last few years it´s between THJ, Clarkson and Gordon. If the Heat get back into the playoff picture Dragic is an option as well. Not sure about Lamelo. He might have earned a starting spot. Has anyone ever won ROY and 6th man in the same season?
Talking about impact and defense Allen is probably the most deserving. Not impressed with Lakers Harrell.

Wait THJ doesn't start?? Who the Hell does carlisle have starting with Luka then???

zonedefense wrote:

DreamTeam09 wrote:

zonedefense wrote:Just looking at the traditional best scorer/playmaker of the bench award of the last few years it´s between THJ, Clarkson and Gordon. If the Heat get back into the playoff picture Dragic is an option as well. Not sure about Lamelo. He might have earned a starting spot. Has anyone ever won ROY and 6th man in the same season?
Talking about impact and defense Allen is probably the most deserving. Not impressed with Lakers Harrell.

Wait THJ doesn't start?? Who the Hell does carlisle have starting with Luka then???

Richardson and DFS. THJ was a starter early in the season. Was benched. Returned to the starting five when DFS and Richardson were out due to COVID. Is back in the 6th man role now that everyone is healthy.

MTJazzv3 wrote:

Muha_i_samolet wrote:I hope a PF|C wins 6th man this time. We haven't had that in a while. But probably will be Clarkson from Utah... It's a "microwave scorer off the bench" award.

Clarkson is having a lot more than a volume microwave year right now. 17.9 ppg 4.6 rb 1.9 assists with an eFG% of 58.4 in 25 min/game. Those are borderline all star numbers. 6th man is his to lose so far.

TheDominator273 wrote:Malik Beasley should be in the discussion for MIP at least. He is for sure behind Grant but he's showing that his short stint to close the season last year wasn't a fluke.