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Michael Beasley: NBA Draft Profile
February 17th, 2008
by Jeff Fox
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Michael Beasley
College: Kansas State
Class: Freshman
Position: PF
Height: 6’9”
Weight: 235lbs
Accolades: USA Basketball U-19 Team (07), USA Basketball Junior National Team (07), McDonald’s All-American – high school (07), McDonald’s All-American Game MVP (07), Second Team USA Today All-USA (07), USA Basketball U-18 Team (06), Second Team Parade All-American (06), Third Team USA Today All-USA (06).
Scouting Report: This year’s Kevin Durant – a dominant freshman.
Strengths: Exceptional offensive skill set. Incredible inside/outside game – very quick, smooth in the post. Can step outside and drop the three. Able to beat his man off the dribble. Capable of explosive scoring nights. Great rebounder – a double-double waiting to happen each night. Racks up steals and blocks. Has proven to be very consistent in college. Has dominated in one of the top conferences in the NCAA. Has NBA athleticism and jumping ability.
Weaknesses: Still inexperienced and young – just turned 19 and only played one year of college. Turns the ball over too much for a post player. Is he an NBA small forward or power forward? Can he guard anyone in the NBA – is he quick enough to cover small forwards, strong enough for power forwards? Probably still not strong/muscular enough to dominate in the post in the NBA. Off the court question marks – bounced around at many high schools; questions about his maturity and attitude. Has been compared to Derrick Coleman and Zach Randolph – yikes!
Projected 2008 Draft Range: First overall pick.
Consensus: Beasley’s dominant play this season looks to have made him a lock to have his name called first in this year’s draft. While there has been question marks concerning his attitude and maturity, he hasn’t been involved in any incidents while at Kansas State. While he might not be as good a prospect as Oden & Durant last year, if he keeps his head on straight he should be a future NBA All-Star.
CHN's Six-Star Ranking System
= Superstar/All-NBA Potential
= Potential NBA All-Star
= Consistent NBA Starter
= 6th Man/Fringe Starter
= Career Reserve
= Fringe NBA Player/12th Man
0 stars = Life in the Minor Leagues
Current NBA Mock Draft Position
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Comments
Beasley
Submitted by Shawn Siegel on Mon, 2009-03-09 15:31.
Don't give up on him yet in the slightest.. when he averages 19-10 next year, you'll know why
Beasley
Submitted by Matt Rea (not verified) on Tue, 2009-04-14 18:36.
Beasley will prove to be the best of a great 08 class. He is a victim of the Pat Riley school of earn it before your get it. If he was on a terrible team without a super star(Mayo/Rose) he would get 35 minutes a night and put up 20pts and 9 rebounds without any question. His last few games are easily proof of that. He will prove that he is nearly impossible to stop at the offensive end. Defense, that's a work in progress. But with the confidence of his offensive game, defense will surly follow, much like D Wade has learned to do in Riley's (now Spolestra)system.
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About Jeff Fox
Columnist
NBA Draft & International Hoops
Contact
foxyjj@sympatico.ca
Background
Jeff Fox is a freelance journalist based an hour outside of Toronto, Canada. While attending University of Waterloo (Canada) earning a B.A. in Economics and Management Studies, Jeff managed to walk onto the school’s varsity basketball team, the Warriors, for 2 seasons. His final year riding the pine for the Warriors saw the team make it to the CIS (Canada’s NCAA equivalent) Final 8 tournament. In addition to this site, he is a regular contributor to SLAM magzine (& online) and The Hoops Manifesto. When he isn’t planted in front of his computer he spends the rest of his time with his wife, Lisa, his son, Adam and his dog Jeannie.
Location
Toronto, CA
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I definitely agreed with the
I definitely agreed with the "this years Kevin Durant" hype at draft time, but that was before we saw Beasley dog it for a good part of his rookie year and before Durant blew up. If the draft was redone, I'd still take him at 2 (I'm not overly impressed by O.J. Mayo, and there's no way I take Russell Westbrook or Brook Lopez over Beasley). I'm sure he'll be a star in the years to come, but the Bulls were definitely right to take Rose #1.