![]() ![]() ![]() And as was the case with Emmanuel Mudiay last season, it is entirely possible that Connelly and company could make the determination that the need for immediate improvement outweighs the cost of continuing to be patient with developing end-of-bench players, especially if the return could give them a legitimate boost. It would seem unwise unless their hand was truly forced to deal away a player with as much potential as Beasley seems to possess, but Lyles may be more expendable, especially considering how his skill set doubles up on much of what Hernangomez provides. The Nuggets already brought veteran guard Nick Young on board to bolster their injury-depleted depth chart. The Nuggets usually seem reticent to offer up their young talent in potential trades, but if the urgency of staying at or near the top of the playoff hunt starts to take a very high priority in president of basketball operations Tim Connelly’s front office, it would not be too surprising to see one or both of them end up on the trading block in order to land a player who could make a bigger short-term contribution and give Denver a lift both in the regular season and the playoffs. Malone said at the end of November that the Nuggets were hoping for Barton’s return ‘ in the next couple of weeks,” but both Millsap and Harris should both be out until mid to late January, leaving plenty of opportunity for both Beasley and Lyles to make their mark on the Nuggets’ play, and demonstrate their immediate value to the team. Stats via Īdditionally, Beasley has shown growth on defense, where he rivals Craig in his prowess, and is likely the most athletic player on the Nuggets roster, throwing down a number of high-flying, acrobatic dunks that showcase just how high his ceiling might be. 430 (90th percentile), per, with Beasley fifth in 3-point percentage among all qualified bench players.Ī shooting comparison of Trey Lyles and Malik Beasley from 2017-18 to 2018-19 shows they have. 300 3-point percentage last season were near the bottom of the barrel, ranking him in the 16th and 13th percentiles in those categories, respectively, whereas this season those have vaulted to. ![]() With head coach Michael Malone showing a preference for a deeper rotation this season than last, along with all the injuries, Beasley’s minutes have more than doubled from 9.4 in 2017-18 to 19.4 this season.Įven more impressively, Beasley's shooting has improved by leaps and bounds (with the obligatory caveat that a quarter season remains a relatively small sample size). Prior to the start of the season, it was unclear how large a role Beasley would have on a Nuggets team with a deep roster which at full strength would ostensibly have Harris, Jamal Murray and Isaiah Thomas consuming the lion’s share of available guard minutes. Malik Beasley, on the other hand, has if anything exceeded expectations with solid defensive play, decision-making and team-oriented play which has noticeably improved from last season, and a knack for not just draining threes, but hitting big ones in key moments of tight games. This apparent lack of focus appears to extend to the defensive end of the court as well, where costly lapses are abundant. And to compound the difficulties, he has simply appeared to be lacking in confidence, hesitating so often on catch-and-shoot chances at the arc that it seems like he pulls the trigger on far fewer than he passes up. While Lyles is certainly not alone in going through a shooting slump – nearly all of the Nuggets’ best shooters from last season took a significant hit on their percentages this time around, the slide for Lyles has been far more severe. This season, those figures have absolutely plummeted to. 384, which for his position put him in the 60th and 74th percentiles, according to. Last season Lyles had an effective field goal percentage of. But the far greater issue is his dropoff in shooting. While he does lead all bench scorers, both Morris and Beasley have surpassed him in both points and minutes over the last month. Lyles was widely projected to be the Nuggets’ leading scorer off the bench this season, or at least until Thomas returned, as his offensive skill set combination of 3-point range, driving downhill to the rim when attacking closeouts, and exploiting mismatches on switches represented a range of versatility beyond that of Denver’s other bench players. ![]()
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