Post by jhb on Apr 8, 2021 7:19:43 GMT -5
Michael Beasley
SF
6'9"
239
19
Kansas State
Beasley may be the most controversial prospect of this draft class. Some scouts point to his absolutely dominant season at K-State as proof the 19 year old is one of the highest ceiling prospects in the class. And that's hard to argue with, but some scouts have identified some flaws they feel may keep him from reaching his lofty potential.
The arguments for Beasley can be summed up pretty simply. Just physically, Beasley is as TMBSL-ready as they come for a 19 year old...strong, explosive, jumps out of the gym, and he runs the floor very well. Mechanically, he doesn't have many flaws as he has a very smooth left-handed jump shot and range to boot, hitting shots far more consistently than many would expect for an 18 year old in his first season of college ball. He has great hands to receive the ball in the paint and a soft touch to finish around the rim. He doesn't just beat defenses with his athleticism either, like many other young players who are physically dominant. He has a nice spin move and a variety of hook shots and fadeaways that he uses within 15 feet. He's also a voracious rebounder, crashing the offensive boards especially hard and looking for opportunities to clean up second chance opportunities.
The arguments against him can be just as convincing...Beasley is a very versatile player. While for many players that would project to be a positive, for him it's more of a question mark as scouts see him as a man without a position. He projects as either a big small forward or a small-ball 4 who can shoot effectively, but either way he has no clue how to play defense. Even a season with Frank Martin didn't rub off on him. And despite putting up almost three blocks and steals per game as a collegian, he won't be able to rely on his athleticism the same way to be disruptive at the next level and his poor decision making and defensive instincts will make him a liability on that end of the floor. That poor decision-making manifests itself on the offensive ends at times as well. Despite having the tools to be an extremely effective scorer at all three levels, he often forgoes the interior to hang out at the perimeter and fall in love with his jump shot. And while it is smooth and he hits it pretty consistently, it's not as far along as his interior game and his ball-handling ability may not be good enough to be able to consistently get him quality looks on the outside against better competition. He's also not an unwilling passer, which usually is a good thing, but once again the problem is the passes that he makes are never good ones and almost always high difficulty passes that are prone to ending up in the hands of opponents. He also had some character concerns out of high school, but many scouts say he seemingly has matured while in Manhattan.
So now it's up to TMBSL GMs to decide if they're willing to take the potential downsides with the upsides. Beasley skyrocketed on many teams' boards this year with his dominant performance and improved demeanor but the question still lingers whether he'll be able to live up to the hype.