Fresh off of a rather disappointing 2021-22 season, the Milwaukee Bucks are looking to regroup for next year. They failed to defend their title after bowing to the Boston Celtics in the second round of the playoffs. They were THIS close to weathering the major injuries they suffered during the playoffs.
Their first major addition of the 2022 offseason came in the 2022 NBA Draft, when the Bucks selected MarJon Beauchamp with the 24th overall pick. Beauchamp, a G League Ignite product is in a rather tough position for a rookie. First-year players tend to struggle for minutes on a contending team, after all.
Can the rookie make an immediate impact for the Bucks? Here are our bold predictions for MarJon Beauchamp in his rookie year with the Bucks.
3 bold predictions for MarJon Beauchamp in his rookie season with Bucks
1. Beauchamp's energy translates to the NBA.
MarJon Beauchamp's biggest asset heading into the NBA is his high-revving motor. The G League Ignite star made a name for himself as a high-energy forward off the bench who can provide a spark to a struggling lineup. He's absolutely phenomenal at crashing the boards and finishing plays on offense.
With the Milwaukee Bucks, Beauchamp has a chance to use this energy he has to make a winning impact for a title contender. He won't be asked to do too much on offense, as he'll be playing alongside elite playmakers. Having guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday will open up so many opportunities for Beauchamp to slip through the defense and cut into open space for an easy bucket. On defense, his high-octane motor fits in perfectly with the Bucks' disruptive defensive schemes.
2. Beauchamp's three-point shooting will improve next season.
One of the biggest knocks on Marjon Beauchamp's game is his lack of a reliable jumper from the outside. The 2022 NBA draftee struggled to shoot with consistency from three-point range. He made an atrocious 24% of his shots from that range in 2021. That, along with his unimpressive free-throw shooting (65% in the G League Ignite) raised a ton of questions surrounding his fit in the modern NBA.
There's a lot of hope, though, that Beauchamp can correct these mistakes in his rookie year. Already, the Bucks rookie has made three of his six attempts in his first Summer League game. That's not to say his jumper is already fixed: he did shot 50% from the line in that game too. However, that does open the possibility of him making a higher percentage of his shots from the outside.
If MarJon Beauchamp ever gets a reliable jumper from deep, the Bucks rookie will instantly be a hit sensation for the team.
3. Beauchamp will crack the Bucks' playoff rotation.
The playoffs are a notoriously bad place to be in as a rookie. It's rare for rookies coming off the bench to find significant minutes come the postseason. When rotations start to tighten up, coaches are more likely to go to their veteran players instead of a rookie. That's just how it is.
It's not a stretch to predict, though, that Beauchamp could see some serious minutes for the Bucks in the playoffs. Milwaukee's wing depth is rather suspect, to say the least. Pat Connaughton is a solid contributor, but other than him, the team is light on dependable wings off the bench.
MarJon Beauchamp, on the other hand, has the size and the skill to defend from positions one to three. If his offense improves enough that he doesn't become a liability, we might see him get minutes in the postseason for the Bucks.
Follow Us
Subscribe