The Los Angeles Lakers continued to fill out their roster by signing forward Michael Beasley. He not only gives the Lakers another experienced veteran and excellent one-on-one scorer, but he also understands what comes along with playing alongside LeBron James.
The two were teammates in 2014 with the Miami Heat, a team that made the NBA Finals. On that roster, Beasley was one of the key components off the bench, developing a relationship and respect for James.
Following his signing with the Lakers, Beasley spoke about James, lauding the way he plays the game via Joey Ramirez:
“He’s one of the few guys that doesn’t have to, but plays the game the right way,” Beasley said. “And not only knows, (but) wants to play the game the right way.”
That is one of the reasons why James is liked so much as a teammate. He is always looking to make the right play in every situation and his combination of physical attributes, high basketball IQ, and excellent court vision allows him to do so more often than not.
Beasley experienced that first-hand in Miami and will look to do so again in Los Angeles with an intriguing Lakers team. Beasley is one of many veteran signings, along with Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee, the Lakers brought in to give their young team some experience and toughness.
Combined with those young pieces like Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball, the Lakers have given James plenty of versatile options to play off of. The front office has undoubtedly built the type of team they intended to.
Beasley had a bounce-back campaign the New York Knicks last season season, averaging 13.2 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 50.7 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from three-point range.
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