Malik Beasley looks ready to have a big Las Vegas Summer League for the Denver Nuggets after going off for 29 points and six rebounds in a 102-99 loss to the Houston Rockets.
My co-expert here at Nugg Love, Mathew Huff, wrote yesterday that Denver Nuggets shooting guard Malik Beasley should be primed for a big showing in Las Vegas Summer League this year. And after the team’s first game, Huff’s prediction couldn’t have looked any better.
The Nuggets struggled with their offense early on and couldn’t overcome losing the first quarter 26-17 in their 102-99 loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday, but Beasley was a bright spot, to say the least. He looked to take over as one of the Nuggets’ more experienced players alongside fellow sophomore Juancho Hernangomez (who also played well with 21 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and four three-pointers) with constant drives to the rim, up-tempo play in transition, good spells of hustle and plenty of catch-and-shoot threes and shots off the dribble.
Beasley wanted to do all he could, finishing with 29 points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block.
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The downside to Beasley’s 29-point night is how many shots it took him to get there: 30. That’s not good efficiency for a 29-point game. He finished the contest 12-of-30 from the field with only five free throw attempts, mainly because he got a bit too trigger happy from three late in the second quarter and at a few points during the night. Beasley went 3-of-12 from three, which he won’t (and shouldn’t) get a chance to do again with the Nuggets.
He was gunning a bit at times and made a few errant passes to end up with four turnovers. However, this is only summer league, after all. It was good to see Beasley being so aggressive and clearly looking like one of the best players on the court. While these are meaningless games, they do show which players can assert themselves over other young talent and when a player looks like an experienced sophomore, setting themselves apart, that’s a good sign.
Beasley looked to do that and his intensity can’t be faulted. More than just firing threes, he took plenty of strong drives inside and added a fast break poster dunk. He looked good, and utilized his strengths and athleticism well.
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Hopefully for the Nuggets, Beasley can hone the shot selection a little going forward and keep this strong performance going through the rest of Las Vegas Summer League and into training camp. He certainly started his summer in encouraging fashion.