Since Kevin Garnett left the Minnesota Timberwolves for the Boston Celtics in the middle of the 2000s, the Wolves haven’t had very much success. They made the Western Conference finals in the 2003-2004 season, but have only qualified for the playoffs once since that run. Minnesota is poised to re-establish itself as a team to be taken seriously in the conference under head coach Chris Finch, who is in his first full season with the team. They’ve received some important contributions from their bench this year, including the likes of Naz Reid, Jaden McDaniels, and Taurean Prince. However, perhaps the most dangerous reserve on their roster is Malik Beasley. His production fluctuates from game to game, by Beasley has the potential to score in bunches. Don’t be surprised if he gets hot and wins a playoff game for the Timberwolves in April.
Childhood
Malik JonMikal Beasley was born on November 26, 1996, in Atlanta, Georgia to parents Deena and Michael Beasley. Malik Beasley’s father played professional basketball in Chile and in the Caribbean, but his life took a very different turn after that chapter of his life was closed. Both Michael and his wife became professional actors, and have appeared in some pretty popular content. Michael has been in shows like “Black-ish” and the Netflix hit “House of Cards”, while Deena appeared in “The Hunger Games”. While it’s tough for many working parents to balance their career pursuits with their children’s extracurricular activity schedule, Malik Beasley’s mother and father had a unique challenge. They had to turn down auditions and parts during his childhood when it became clear that their son really loved the game of basketball. Malik Beasley would wake his father up to work out as a child because he was fixated on improving his craft.
High School
Malik Beasley did exactly have the most imposing figure coming into St. Francis High School in Alpharetta, Georgia. He stood a solid 5’10” in his freshman year but clocked in at a lightweight of 150 pounds. In 28 games played in his initial season with St. Francis, he averaged 6.5 points per game, and 1.9 rebounds per game, which supported the notion that he had to get bigger. Beasley was also not fully committed to basketball at that stage of his life; he also enjoyed playing football and baseball as well. His production picked up as a sophomore on the court, and with a more sturdy stature came an improved ability to contribute on the glass. Beasley was a 14.4 points per game scorer that year, and his rebounds jumped all the way to 6.2 per contest.
It was around this time that Beasley, who got taller since his freshman year, decided to focus on basketball and give it everything he had. It occurred to him that there may be a solid future for him in the game if he put his mind to it. His coaches certainly noticed the effort that he was putting in as an upperclassman, and it helped catapult St. Francis to another level as a program. In his junior and senior years, he became something close to an automatic bucket. He averaged over 20.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, and two steals per game, morphing into the scorer that NBA fans have come to know and love. Malik Beasley was recognized as an All-State Class A First Team player and led his team to a state title in 2014.
College
Despite being somewhat of a late bloomer, Malik Beasley definitely had the attention of the national recruiting scene. With his deft scoring touch and rim rocking dunks that were making their way through social media, most of the major NCAA programs knew who he was, and wanted him to join their program. He received offers from UCLA, USC, Texas Tech, Oregon, Maryland, Connecticut, Auburn, and a litany of other universities. He decided to attend Florida State University, and play for head coach Leonard Hamilton.
Hamilton let Malik Beasley play an integral role on the Seminoles roster from day one in the 2015-2016 season. According to Sports Reference LLC, he averaged 15.6 points and 5.3 rebounds as a freshman, with a free throw percentage over 81 percent. The shooting guard also was effective from long range, connecting on over 38 percent of shots from the three-point distance. He ranked eighth in the ACC in free throw percentage as well. While Florida State did not make it to the NCAA Tournament in Beasley’s only season in college, the former St. Francis product did have a chance to compete against some elite talent in the ACC. He felt that he was already prepared to play professional basketball, and became the school’s first one-and-done player when he entered the NBA Draft after his freshman year.
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets were looking for a new identity ahead of the 2016 NBA Draft. They were a few years removed from the blockbuster trade of superstar Carmelo Anthony and had just completed their third consecutive losing season. They had a couple of promising frontcourt players in Josef Nurkic and Nikola Jokic and were looking to round out their backcourt. With their lottery pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, they selected Jamal Murray, who would end up becoming a future star. Later in the first round, Denver selected Malik Beasley as more of a wild card, with a huge upside.
Head coach Michael Malone had the team progressing in an upward direction with some exciting young talent, but Beasley wasn’t really a part of the mix. In each of his first two seasons, he didn’t see much playing time. He appeared in 22 games in his rookie year. Malik Beasley appeared in 62 regular-season games in his second NBA season but was only playing around nine minutes a night. In limited playing time, Beasley could never really find a rhythm, and it was fair to wonder what his future looked like with the Nuggets.
However, in 2018-2019, Beasley was a huge reason why the Nuggets continued their ascent in the Western Conference, winning 54 regular-season games. An already deep rotation became even more formidable when the former Florida State star entered the fold. Beasley played in 81 games that year, averaging 11.3 points per game on just over 40 percent shooting from three-point range. He even ended up receiving a vote for Sixth Man of The Year, which was impressive considering he had been an afterthought not long before.
However, the next year was kind of a step in the opposition direction. While he wasn’t picking up scrap minutes like he was in years one and two, Beasley’s playing time dipped in the 2019-2020 season, as the team looked to integrate Michael Porter Jr. into the fold. He got to the free-throw line a bit less than a year, and only had one or two games with high impact from a scoring perspective. Additionally, with a bunch of blue-chip players coming up for big paydays, Denver was not in a great position to commit to Beasley as well, who was in his fourth season at that time.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Although he was still just 23 years old, Denver decided to flip Malik Beasley to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a complicated four-team trade. This allowed the Nuggets to receive a first-round pick while maintaining financial flexibility. Meanwhile, the rebuilding Timberwolves would get a first-hand look at a talented player, to see if they wanted him to be a part of their future.
It ended up being an abridged 14-game sample size due to the onset of the pandemic, but Beasley was a scoring machine for Minnesota in February and March of 2020. He averaged nearly 21 points per game with a 47 percent field goal percentage.
That was enough for Minnesota management to see, as they signed him to a four-year $60 million contract in November 2020. Beasley’s production did not tail off much in 2020-2021, putting up nearly 20 points per game, and shot 85 percent on free throws, a career-high. He did only appear in 37 games, however, due to a league suspension and a hamstring injury.
NBA Future
Beasley hasn’t quite had the same large role he had last year but has played in nearly every game for the Timberwolves this season. As Anthony Edwards continues to grow, it’s possible that Malik Beasley’s statistics will have a ceiling. However, as the Timberwolves turn the corner this year, he will be an important player down the stretch. If he can get hot during the postseason, Minnesota might surprise some fans in the Western Conference playoffs.
Is Malik Beasley good?
Malik Beasley is a guy who can really light up a game. He’s always good for a lot of points in a hurry, which can make a big difference down the stretch.
