Meet The Draft Picks: Michael Beasley

The draft is over, the smoke has cleared, and Miami has two new players on the roster. Michael Beasley, a PF from Kansas State, was selected with the 2nd pick in the draft, and, after a couple trades, we also added Mario Chalmers, PG and folk-hero from Kansas. So, to get to know them a little better, I've checked stats, highlight tapes, and various web-site sources to give a complete breakdown of what each player can and can't do. First up, Michael Beasley.

Beasley was, in my opinion, the best prospect in this draft class. I'm sure everybody knows the two big numbers Beasley put up in college, 26 pts and 12 rebs a game. But his other numbers are just as impressive. First of all, he is much better on defense than people give him credit for, averaging almost 2 blocks per game, and only 2.6 fouls. His shooting percentage was very high for a guy scoring so much; he shot 53% from the field, 38% from 3pt range. He's also a good FT shooter, hitting on 78% in his one year of college. His assists numbers weren't very good, at only 1 a game, but he was the guy finishing plays, not starting them. He is a high-volume scorer and rebounder, without being a high-volume shooter. In fact, there was only 5 games in which he shot 22 times or more, and he scored more than 33 all 5 times. He made 14-22, scoring 40 pts against Winston Salem. He put up 12-22 and 40 pts against Mizzou. He scored 44 pts on 14-25 shooting in a loss vs Baylor. In back-to-back games, he scored 39 on 11-23, and 33 on 12-22. In every one of those games, the high number of shots didn't bring his shooting% down at all. Beasley shot 50+% in all of those games. He will be a perfect fit with Wade, because he can put points on the board without having to shoot every time down the floor.

I've hit up RealGM.com, one of the best sites going, for an in-depth breakdown of his skills, and they didn't disappoint. You can read the entire acticle here. http://www.realgm.com/src_fromtherafters/170/20080605/draft_report_michael_beasley_of_k_state/
Some highlights in the article:
"In the triple threat position, there is nothing he can’t do, and Beasley (a very self-assured young man when I spoke to him) knows this fact exceedingly well."

"But unlike certain remorseless prolific scorers, Beasley doesn’t excessively force things."

"Very explosive in the post, Beasley is NBA-ready to bang and score. He scores at a tremendously effective rate despite the constant collapse of double-teams when he touches the ball."

"Beasley is excellent at finding the vulnerabilities of a defense when he moves without the ball. Even more remarkable is how he always has his hands facing the ball, readying for a pass."

"By being so long to the ball despite being a little short for a power forward, he will always be an above average rebounder"

"Defensively, he is more motor and athletic talent than technique. He can block/affect shots quite easily, but he sometimes is mentally lackadaisical..."

The article finishes up comparing Beasley to Rasheed Wallace offensively, but a better scorer because he has the ability to score off the dribble. There is really nothing Beasley can't do on a basketball court, and he will be an all-star caliber forward in the very near future. To finish up, here's a highlight video that really shows all of Beasley's skills, offensively and defensively.