5. He can get buckets
Since taking over as president of basketball operations, Magic Johnson has stated that a big part of his vision for the purple and gold is to recreate Showtime. More specifically, he wants them to play an uptempo game that will wear opponents out.
Last season the Lakers played at the second-fastest pace in the NBA, and Magic even said this offseason that he wants them to play even faster in 2018-19.
Surely, Lebron and Rondo will play a huge role in making that happen. But committing to the running game isn’t just about forcing the pace, it’s also about making baskets. To have a successful uptempo attack, you also need a strong secondary break that produces points after the initial thrust of your fast break but before the other team has fully set up their defense.
This is where Michael Beasley can fit in well with the Lakers. In today’s NBA, having a secondary break is integral to having a championship caliber offense. Beasley has always been a good one-on-one player, especially in freelance or open court situations. Last season with the New York Knicks, 60 percent of his shot attempts came on jump shots, and he shot a robust 39.5 percent from 3-point range.
A weak spot for the Lakers last season was their lack of 3-point shooting and pundits criticized their free agent signings for not addressing this roster flaw. However, Beasley has shot very well from downtown over the last two years, which should allow the Lakers to spread out their offense both in transition and in their set offense when he’s on the floor.
Beasley may not be a high volume 3-point shooter, but he should, at the very least, be able to make enough of them to keep defenses honest and allow his teammates to be effective penetrating the paint.
He can also attack the rim effectively himself. According to advanced stats at basketballreference.com, nearly 60 percent of Beasley shots last season came from inside of 10 feet. Inside of three feet, he shot a very strong 67.8 percent. In the non-restricted area of the paint, which is often a sticky area for players as many of them lack a mid-range game, he shot 49 percent.
For his career, he has averaged 19.5 points per 36 minutes, and he has shot over 50 percent from the field in each of the last three seasons. Last season he scored 0.25 points per minute, good enough for 11th in the entire NBA.
Simply put, Beasley can get buckets. For the Lakers to be as successful as they can be this season, they need plenty of guys, including their bench players, to be able to put the ball in the hole.
Which brings us to our next point: