When the Los Angeles Lakers brought in Malik Beasley in the three-team trade that also netted them D’Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt, the hope was that the guard would give the team a real sharpshooter to help space the floor for its stars. And while there have been glimpses of that, Beasley has struggled more often than not.
So far, Beasley is shooting just 32.6% from 3-point range with the Lakers, a number that would be the worst since his first year in the league. In six games so far in March, Beasley’s accuracy has plummeted further to a mere 26.8% including 5-of-23 in the last four games combined and 2-of-8 in the Lakers’ loss to the New York Knicks. But despite all of that, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham remains unconcerned.
“No, not at all. I encourage him to continue to shoot,” Ham said following the game. “I don’t care if he’s 0-for-20, he’s in this league because he can put the ball in the basket.
“Sometimes you go through different spells and sometimes you have bad moments. … But we continue to fight and stack and try to do what we do and continue to keep at it, so we can get better and have things turn for the good.”
It has to do wonders for Beasley’s confidence that Ham continues to encourage him to shoot through this slump. Beasley got a number of open looks against the Knicks that he has to believe will go down more often than not if he continues to be that wide-open.
Beasley’s biggest strength is his ability to get scorching hot at any moment, but if he is hesitant or gets down on himself, it completely ruins his value when he is on the court.
Sometimes Beasley’s minutes will go down, especially if Dennis Schroder or Austin Reaves is having a great game off the bench. But when he is on the court, Ham is right to empower him to shoot when he is open, otherwise, there is no point in having him out there at all.
Lakers’ LeBron James ‘turning over every stone’ to return as quickly as possible
It was Lakers superstar LeBron James who called Beasley a ‘laser’ when the franchise acquired him, but LeBron himself hasn’t been able to take advantage of having him on the court due to the foot injury that is keeping him out.
But James is doing everything he possibly can to get back on the court. Recent reports suggest the Lakers star is ‘turning over every stone’ from a medical treatment standpoint to get himself back on the court as there is a great level of optimism surrounding the team right now.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
