As far as starting fours go, the Milwaukee Bucks surely have one of the most formidable lineups in the entire league. The combination of Giannis Anteotkoumnpo, Damian Lillard, Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez certainly has the power to strike fear in the hearts of their opponents.
There’s no denying, however, that the Bucks have a bit of a weak spot when it comes to the fifth starting spot.
Should Malik Beasley Start for Milwaukee Bucks?
At the moment, that final starting spot belongs to veteran shooting guard Malik Beasley. The 26-year-old joined the Bucks this summer via free agency after a so-so half-season with the Los Angeles Lakers last term.
The fact that the Lakers opted to let him walk despite knocking down 2.5 triples per game last season speaks volumes of Beasley’s status in LA. The Bucks were able to secure his services in free agency for $2.7 million on a one-year deal.
To be fair, Beasley hasn’t been terrible for the Bucks to start the season. In 10 games played, the 6-foot-4 guard has averaged 8.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.0 steals in 25.1 minutes per contest.
His value lies in his efficiency from beyond the arc. Right now, Beasley is connecting on 2.0 triples per game on a career-high 40.8-percent clip.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report argues, however, that this is the extent of what Beasley brings to the table for the Bucks:
“[Milwaukee being top-heavy] does have drawbacks, though. Like having to start Malik Beasley due to a dearth of alternatives, for instance. Luckily, he’s got it going with his three-ball (career-high 40.8 percent splash rate), but that’s the extent of his on-court contributions. And you’d have to think even a top-heavy team could do better than plugging a shooting specialist (who’s usually streakier than this) into a starting spot.
“He is, by default, Milwaukee’s backcourt stopper, but only because he lines up alongside the traffic cone known as Damian Lillard. Beasley can have some offensive utility in the open court, but that hasn’t amounted to much with the Bucks averaging the fourth-fewest fast-break points. While Milwaukee may reasonably conclude it doesn’t have a superior option at the moment, that’s less an argument for sticking with Beasley and more a push to go find his replacement,” Buckley wrote.
For what it’s worth, it doesn’t seem like head coach Adrian Griffin is going to be changing up his starting lineup anytime soon. Beasley is still the starter, and this should be the case for the foreseeable future — I think.
Whether the fans like it or not, the starting spot is still Beasley’s to lose. And it’s not as if they have a myriad of options behind him either.
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1 Comment
The analyst is wrong about him not being streaky so far this year. His best games have often come in the worst losses, and he doesn’t contribute at all in the wins. He never contributes on D.
There are plenty of options. PatC is a better player. Marjon is looking like the real deal.
He should not start on any NBA team. And he’s probably worse than the back ups on half.
He needs to be out of the rotation now or dropped very far down it (like maybe below Marjon and Pat).