Nickel: MarJon Beauchamp's 18 points – and his mentor – give the young Buck's confidence a boost

MarJon Beauchamp may be a little but star-struck right now, but he is doing his best to keep his confidence up. His 18-point performance in the Milwaukee Bucks' final preseason game Friday night helped a great deal in that department.

So did a little mentoring, again, from Giannis Antetokounmpo.

After scorching the summer basketball scene with eye-popping scoring outputs, Beauchamp returned to Milwaukee this fall and saw the loaded Bucks lineup with the addition of Damian Lillard and the return of Khris Middleton – and suddenly the 23-year-old’s self assurance was a little up and down.

“I’ve just been working on my confidence, you know?” he said Friday night after a 124-116 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. “Lately I've just been trying to fit in, but I know I can play this game."

Humble as he is, it was probably hard for Beauchamp to ride the pine for the entire first half at Fiserv Forum but not unexpected. New coach Adrian Griffin was working through different lineups, grateful for Middleton’s debut after knee rehabilitation, and trying to see what moving pieces he has.

When Beauchamp finally checked in during the third quarter, he looked like he was in mid-season form, and he pushed the ball up court like a point guard. Beauchamp scored 18 points in 18 minutes on 7-of-9 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three. Adding two assists and a steal, the second-year player was nothing short of impressive, even in a game that meant nothing.

But it was nice to see 11-year veteran Giannis Antetokounmpo, who’s already got enough on his mind with the retooling of his team, to take notice of Beauchamp and give him some positive reinforcement. In the locker room after the game, that’s what Antetokounmpo did.

“Giannis just told me, you have to have that aggressive mentality every time,” said Beauchamp. "Especially on a good team like this … my confidence, it's up and down. But I heard from the big dog now. I got to stay aggressive. I got to keep working."

Antetokounmpo’s sense of urgency seems even more focused, given some of the offseason statements he’s made. It’s clear he wants to be on a team that is aligned with title aspirations. How does Damian Lillard fit in as a member of the Big Four, with Antetokounmpo, Middleton and Brook Lopez? How does the style of play change with the new coach?

And, to Giannis, Beauchamp in part of that goal.

“He's definitely part of this. He's going to be a big part of this,” said Antetokounmpo.

"You could see the way he played (Friday) night; he basically won the game for us. He came in in the fourth quarter, made plays, shot threes, he wanted it. It's always awesome to see guys playing with a chip on their shoulder, guys just being aggressive and try to earn every single thing on the court. And that's what I saw today and I'm happy that he's doing that.

"We need him to do that. He cannot wait for the game to come to him. … In my a second year in the league, I tried to go out there and try to take it. I didn’t wait for the game to come to me.

“He’s definitely a big part of this team and he needs to know this. Not because I said it, because the whole team believes it. We need him to be great. We need him to be aggressive. We need him to make shots. We needed to go out there and take a leap.”

Beauchamp also worked in the weight room, got stronger, and worked on his defense, using his length to his advantage by closing off passing lanes and attempting to re-direct drives. He made a rookie splash a year ago with some impressive games and then completely fell off the radar as the Bucks marched toward the playoffs.

Playing minutes won’t be any easier to come by this year. Can Beauchamp earn enough of them to make a meaningful contribution?

"It's important to keep your confidence in this league," Griffin said, "and that's one of the things as a former player, I struggled all the time. It wasn't until I really started to pay attention to my thought life and what I was thinking, trying to stay positive and build that mental resolve, mental toughness. Its encouraging that he's learning it at a younger age. And the sooner the better because he's a hell of a ballplayer."

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks' MarJon Beauchamp scores 18 points, gets boost from Giannis