June 17, 2014

Probably should say "boss".

Beamon is a different type of shooting guard. He is not all that big, not all that athletic, and not all that good of a shooter. He handles the ball on the perimeter little, pretty much only creates for himself, and is not dynamic. But what he does do is move off the ball, looking to catch and drive or dive to open spots. Beamon is aggressive, always looking for the drive, and doing so more in motion and off screens than in isolation or calling for screens.

Slashing, then, is the focus of his game. Beamon is a steady and crafty driver using body control, spin moves, step-throughs, jump stops and the like. A fluid if not overly explosive athlete, Beamon is herky jerky and tough to keep in front, somewhat prone to losing his handle on the ball when under pressure but an unafraid, aggressive scorer who wants the shots down the stretch of a game. He finishes quite well around the rim, is not afraid to take the contact and get to the line (which he does a lot), will leak out in transition, and will occasionally will shoot a jumpshot off the curl.

The jumpshot is a weak part of his game, however - much improved as it is, it remains temperamental and Beamon is not adept at shooting off the dribble or at creating looks for himself. The shot needs to take another leap forward, and this will be tough to do until he improves his release. There is far too much going on with it right now. And there are other drawbacks with his offensive game. Beamon is not hugely big, and nor he is not the biggest athlete. Furthermore, for whatever reason, he rarely passes. If he drives, he drives to shoot, to get a look around the basket, and for himself. It is probably fortunate that he is good at this, but for the turnovers to come down and the efficiency to go up, Beamon needs to share the ball around more, and to know how collapsing the defense can create passing opportunities. If he could improve on kicking to the corner, shooting a pull-up and tightening up his handle, this would be a mighty fine offensive player.

Defensively, Beamon contests, and is a good on-the-ball defender. He can be a trifle slow to rotate, yet he is a net neutral on this end of the court, which suffices. Beamon also rebounds his position very well, as unafraid to mix up on the glass as he is when finishing around the basket. He is a tough player on both ends, and that's a good characteristic to be defined by. There is still more skill development to do, though.

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