Los Angeles Lakers free agent signing, Michael Beasley, is unfazed by the criticism that the team has received this summer.
The Los Angeles Lakers retooled their roster this offseason. A number of veterans were brought in to supplement the young core that the Lakers have put together. One of those veterans was Michael Beasley.
Beasley spent last season with the New York Knicks. He signed for the veteran minimum last August with New York, a move that wasn’t thought to be much for New York. However, the enigmatic Beasley made the most of the chance that New York took on him.
Beasley was an afterthought in free agency but turned into one of the Knicks’ most consistent players during the 2017-18 season. He showcased a matured game, putting away some of the worries that plagued him earlier in his career.
Beasley has always been able to score and rebound the basketball. He did both at a high-level last season. Beasley averaged an efficient 13.2 points on 50.7 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from the 3-point line. He added 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. The 2017-18 season was Beasley best season since 2010-11 when he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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Beasley has had a tumultuous career, which has even taken him overseas. Now, he looks to be someone that teams can rely on for scoring and as being a veteran leader. He has faced plenty of adversity and criticism in his career, so it should come as no surprise that the criticism of his new team is not fazing him.
There have been wide-ranging predictions for the Lakers this upcoming season. With LeBron James also joining the team, there are now some heightened expectations for a team that has missed the playoffs for five straight seasons.
Recently, Beasley caught up with Leo Sepkowitz of Bleacher Report. He discussed some of the things analysts are saying about his new team. While some of the criticisms are acceptable Beasley says, he does not believe all are warranted and has confidence in his new squad.
"“As of now, we’re out, according to all the polls. Rightfully so. But I think we’re a team that will be able to decide our own fate by how hard we work and how much we’re willing to sacrifice physically and mentally. I’m not going to put my foot in my mouth and say we’re going to win 25 championships or 75 games, no. But I’m confident that we got a group of guys that wants to play basketball the right way, wants to win and work hard. With that being said, I think we can be exactly where we want to be at the end of the year.”"
Not making any guarantees is smart by Beasley. There are plenty of factors that go into the performance of an NBA team and anything can happen. As Beasley stated, the Lakers have a lot of players that you need to be a winning team.
Beasley, himself, is one of those players. He worked diligently with the Knicks last season despite their struggles and is bringing that same work ethic to the west coast.
If the rest of the team follows suit, and the young players continue developing, the Lakers could do some damage this upcoming season.