The Los Angeles Lakers will be playing the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. In that game, the Lakers should use more of Michael Beasley.
After a bad loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Los Angeles Lakers will be looking to bounce back against the Phoenix Suns. While the Lakers have recently lost games against some of the worst teams in the league, this is a game that they need to have.
With LeBron James appearing to be nearing his return for the upcoming road trip, beating the Suns would be a good little momentum boost for the Lakers. In the loss to the Timberwolves, the Lakers saw one of their key players really struggle.
Kyle Kuzma was clearly not right in the game, as he was playing short stints on the floor and was pretty ineffective the entire game. As their second-leading scorer behind James, and top scorer with James out, the Lakers can’t afford to have Kuzma score just 10 points if they hope to win games.
Likely the main reason for his struggles against the Timberwolves is that he is dealing with a hip strain. As the Lakers prepare for Phoenix, Kuzma is being listed as questionable.
Kyle Kuzma (hip strain) did not practice today, and is questionable for tomorrow.
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) January 26, 2019
LeBron James (groin strain) remains out.
If Kuzma is limited or misses the game, the Lakers will have to find scoring. One player that might be underutilized off the bench has been Michael Beasley. Even though he isn’t playing a lot of minutes, Beasley is able to get buckets, and that is something that the Lakers desperately need.
In January, Beasley is averaging 10.1 points per game off the bench. Considering he is only playing about 13 minutes per game, this is some great production. With a field goal percentage of 56 percent during this stretch, Beasley has been a very capable an efficient scorer for the Lakers.
With scoring being an issue, giving Beasley some more run should be something that the Lakers consider with James still on the sideline. If given some more minutes, Beasley can easily score 15-20 points. Also, he is a decent rebounder from the forward position, which is another area that the Lakers need some work on.
Whether or not Kuzma plays against the Suns, Beasley should get some more minutes. With his solid production in January, he is certainly deserving of it.