Ryan Desmarais is a senior at the University of New Hampshire at Manchester, where he will receive his BA in English in December 2009. Ryan is also a writer at The Bleacher Report and Celtics Town. He currently resides in Manchester, NH.
Every rookie has their struggles while they get acclimated to the NBA game.
Not even the No. 2 pick in the Draft is immune to it.
After his cup of coffee at Kansas State that had every NBA general manager salivating, Michael Beasley went to South Beach with expectations that almost blew the roof off of the American Airlines Arena.
The Heat’s ultimate intention was to put B-Easy alongside Dwyane Wade, creating one of the most intriguing and talented duos that the NBA has seen in years. He was to become the sidekick that Wade had been longing for since Shaq and help bring a title back to Miami.
And while Beasley showed that he could be that guy, his rookie season was full of more inconsistencies and learning experiences than anything else.
The man who averaged over 26 points a game in his only year of college ball had 23 games in which he scored in single digits, including a November game at Phoenix in which he was held scoreless during his 13 minutes of play while missing all five shots he took from the field.
Beasley, who had began the season in the starting lineup, would eventually be replaced as he learned the ins and outs of the NBA game.
But there’s a reason why Michael Beasley was the No. 2 pick in the Draft.
The man’s good.
Really good.
In fact, Beasley might be the best player to come out of the 2008 Draft class.
You don’t have to remind me. I know that Derrick Rose, the man who won Rookie of the Year while leading his team to Game Seven against the defending champs, is in that same class. Trust me, I didn’t forget.
But it’s hard not to see Beasley becoming as good a player as Rose in the future, if not better. He had 16 games in which he scored over 20 points last season, including five straight to close out the regular season. He also recorded eight double-doubles, including a 28-point, 16-rebound performance against the Knicks on April 12.
At 6’9”, Beasley has no problem posting up defenders on the block and using his power to abuse them. It’s what defenders should expect from a big forward.
What make him such a nightmare to defend are the other facets of his game. Beasley possesses a tremendous mid-range stroke that extends beyond the arc. He also has enough speed to get around the majority of the bigs in the league and drive the ball to the rim.
And he’s not even old enough to drink yet. Barring any serious injuries, Beasley should have at least another 15 years or so in the league as he develops into a superstar.
But the biggest plus for Beasley is that he’s playing with a perennial All-Star in Wade. With all of the attention that Wade draws, B-Easy’s going to have opportunities to make plays for his team. There aren’t enough defenders on the floor to double-team both Wade and Beasley, which will leave head coaches scratching their heads when Beasley begins to consistently put up numbers.
And Beasley’s consistent play should come sooner than later.
So should the league-wide praise, All-Star game appearances and, potentially, MVP awards.
Michael Beasley’s that good.
But then again, high draft picks are supposed to be.
