At first, it was a move that didn’t seem to make a lot of sense. Why would a team loaded in the frontcourt and in desperate need of defensive help sign a score-first power forward? The Micheal Beasley Experience in Houston got off to a slow start. He played a total of 13 minutes in his first three games with the Rockets, scoring a combined 10 points on 3-of-8 shooting.
However, once Beasley brushed the dust off, he displayed the offensive chops that made him the No. 2 overall pick in 2008 and a league MVP in China a month ago. While he hasn’t done much to help Houston’s porous defense, he’s compensated by being the scoring spark off the bench that Ty Lawson was supposed to be.
Prior to contributing nine points in Houston’s recent loss to the Indiana Pacers, Beasley notched double-digits in scoring in each of his last nine games. It was the first time a Rockets reserve went on that kind of scoring streak since Carl Landry did it six seasons ago, according to the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen.
Beasley averaged 16.5 points during his surprise hot streak. After barely coming off the bench in the early part of his tenure, he’s logging 21.7 minutes in the last 10 contests. He’s become the club’s preferred option at a forward position that includes Clint Capela, Donatas Motiejunas, Terrence Jones and Montrezl Harrell. Interim head coach J.B. Bickerstaff believes Beasley’s scoring acumen is what sets him apart from the pack, per Feigen.
“His ability to score is different from all of them. He can iso. He can catch-and-shoot. He can post up. That’s where he’s different. He can flat-out score the ball.”
To Bickerstaff’s point, Beasley’s offensive versatility has been the key to his emergence. He has the size to post up smaller defenders as he does here against an over-matched Jamal Crawford.
He also handles the ball well for a 6’10” guy, allowing him to get where he wants on the floor in order to show off his slick jumper.
He’s even athletic enough to make tough shots look easy.
One of the biggest differences between this year’s version of Beasley and his work in the past is his willingness to work inside the arc. Beasley has put up just seven treys in 12 games with Houston, knocking down three of them (42.9 percent). That’s startling for two reasons. First, Beasley averaged 97.1 three-point attempts in his first seven seasons, converting a modest 34.2 percent of them. Also, no team is as infatuated with the three-ball as the Rockets, who led the league in three-point attempts for three straight years coming into this season (where they are currently second to Golden State).
While Beasley is taking smarter shots, he still remains as aggressive as he ever was. He’s averaging 11.1 field-goal attempts per game, second-most on the team behind James Harden. He’s also shooting 54.1 percent from the field, which trails only Howard (61.6 percent) and Capela (58.1) among players in Houston’s regular rotation.
Beyond offense, Beasley is also making contributions on the glass, as well. Among the top big men in Houston’s rotation, Beasley has the fourth-highest percentage on contested defensive rebounds, ahead of six-time total rebounds champ Dwight Howard. Beasley’s 1.9 uncontested rebounds per game are also third behind Howard and Capela, per NBA.com. That’s a huge help for a team ranked 20th in rebounding.
Arguably, the most impressive part of Beasley’s tenure thus far is how he’s meshed with an eclectic group of personalities in a Rockets locker room that’s struggled to stay on the same page. He’s avoid the off-the-court issues that plagued him in the past, and most importantly, he’s accepted his role as a small piece in a larger puzzle, per Feigen.
“It’s great. I feel I can be the piece that brings everything together. We have all the right pieces to make an impact going toward the playoffs. Still learning the fellas. The fellas still learning me. We’ll go from there.”
Beasley still has some work to do, especially on the defensive end. The Rockets allow an astonishing 113.5 points per 100 possessions when B-Easy is on the floor compared to 101.3 points when he sits. The team is also 4-6 since his insertion into the regular rotation.
Still, Beasley has gone from an afterthought to a key contributor in just a few short weeks, which is something very few could have predicted when he first signed.
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