Nickel: Malik Beasley had a motive for coming to Milwaukee. Why did he choose the Bucks?
Malik Beasley’s motivation for coming to Milwaukee isn’t as obvious as it might seem.
It certainly wasn’t for the lack of options elsewhere, since he said he turned down opportunities to play at Dallas, return to his home state to play for Atlanta Hawks, or return to Los Angeles in the offseason as a free agent.
It wasn’t for the snow and beer (just kidding, but…)
“…I’m not worried about the city, or outside life,” interjected Beasley.
And it wasn’t a desperate move for a chance to go deep in the playoffs.
"I've been in the Western Conference Finals, I've been in two Game 7s. I've got a lot of playoff experience,” said Beasley.
Beasley came because the Bucks really, really needed an outside shooter (Beasley signed last summer before the Bucks traded for Damian Lillard) and he knew he could be an asset. And he did his research. Beasley pored over the stats and game film of past Milwaukee shooters like Donte DiVincenzo, Bryn Forbes, Kyle Korver and Grayson Allen - and knew Milwaukee was the right team for him.
“They all succeeded. They came in and got open shots,” said Beasley. “I wanted to be a part of that but also, win a championship.”
A journeyman of sorts, Milwaukee is Beasley’s fifth team, but he’s always seen himself as a shooter no matter where he’s been. By his third season, he emerged as a deep scoring threat in Denver that warranted special screens and attentive defenses. He brought that all with him to the Bucks and the 27-year-old is very confident in his role on a team that is loaded with talent.
And that's interesting: the best basketball teams have players who live up to or exceed their well-defined roles.
But who could have ever predicted this? Beasley has already set the Milwaukee franchise record with 13 games this season where he has scored 5 (or more) made three-pointers, surpassing Ray Allen.
Beasley is shooting a career-best 44.4% from three-point range as well.
He believes it’s because he is working tirelessly to fit in to a new team, and to perform at his best - and that he had to learn the hard way. This Milwaukee stint is a business trip and something he’s taking with a deliberate approach, particularly after a frustrating second half of last season with Los Angeles. The team was great but the system wasn’t a perfect fit for Beasley's style, in his opinion.
"If you post up, or do lots of pick and roll, you can exceed that system. I'm not one of those players,” said Beasley. “I got mad and even when I was in rotation, I wasn't putting the work that I am now. That always seems to be the case to me; cream always rises to the top, and when I put in the work, it shows.”
He said this season he’s more consistent with getting in extra work on the side, getting his recovery and going to sleep on time. It sounds simpler than it is. But in Milwaukee it’s all about Beasley's 3 and his ability to keep the defense honest. When things didn’t fall in to place in L.A. last year after a mid-season trade from Utah, Beasley admits he wasn’t in the best place to handle the adversity.
"I've been in a few positions where I felt like I needed to work harder most of the time and overcome that, and work hard. And it shows,” said Beasley. “But L.A. was more of a spotlight because the team and its Showtime."
Feeling secure with his work input-output now, Beasley is ranked 11th in the NBA in three-pointers made with 156. This is even better than Lillard who is No. 15 with 148. Beasley has also played in 54 games (compared to 51 for Lillard) and has only missed two games so far this year.
Maybe Milwaukee is a better fit?
“Any team I play on is a perfect fit,” said Beasley. “I space the court out for star players. This year my role on defense is bigger, but offensively I feel like I can help any team out.”
Ah yes – the defense. This is a two-way game. How to judge? The Bucks are yielding fewer total points to opponents since Doc Rivers took over in January, but that has not translated to more wins. If the Bucks are to regroup after the all-star break, everyone is expected to play good defense, as Giannis Antetokounmpo made clear after a game in January.
Playing defense can take a toll on the offensive side of the game, but Beasley has to prepare for that with his rest and recovery cycles.
“Obviously people don’t think I’m a defender. I’m trying to prove them wrong, prove myself wrong,” said Beasley. “Showing everybody that I can do it and over the course of the season I think I've been proven that I can.”
Beasley said he isn’t getting screened out of defending his man and is communicating better which has led to defensive strides. It was a short-lived moment since the Bucks wilted later on, but Beasley took pride in a defensive stop of Miami’s Jaime Jaquez early on in the game. He’s not trying to get away with not guarding.
There's a lot to like about Beasley. He keeps propping up the three, even if it isn’t falling early; he has the confidence to keep pushing. For all that was great about the man in that position before this season, Jrue Holiday, he would shy away from taking shots, always wanting to defer to teammates.
Beasley also had Giannis Antetokounmpo’s back when Collin Sexton taunted a fallen Antetokounmpo at Utah. Beasley's little forearm shiver tackle to Sexton after the play earned him a technical foul, but it was clear he was sending a message - don't mess with us like that - rather than picking an immature fight.
Milwaukee needs some of that moxie desperately right now. The Bucks are, coming out of the all-star break, at a cross roads. With a 35-21 record they have slipped to third place in the Eastern Conference and face one of the toughest schedules in the league – but worse than that, they have lost 8 of their last 12 games. They had a brutal schedule in the middle of a mid-season coaching change and they look awfully inconsistent and lost.
They need defined roles and they need to start looking at the schedule with a little more personal pride. Beasley has shown he will adapt his defense and play to his strengths and make sure his committment to this role is around the clock. Will it be enough?
“A championship season is always going to be tough. There’s always going to be adversity. Ups and downs; depends on how we react and how we move forward from here," he said. “We have to just continue to fight and stay together. The main thing I tell the guys you know, take care of your body. Which is important. If we have injuries it takes away from our guys and we lose rhythm.”
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why did Malik Beasley pick the Milwaukee Bucks over other options?
