The Milwaukee Bucks narrowly squeaked out a 110-105 victory over the New York Knicks on Friday night, staving off a 45-point explosion from Jalen Brunson. The Bucks improved to 3-2 on the regular season, but they also jumped out to a 1-0 start in pool play for the brand-new NBA In-Season Tournament. Damian Lillard shined with 30 points, including multiple clutch buckets in the fourth quarter. Giannis Antetokounmpo had a shaky night overall, but he did catch fire from three-point territory, going 3-3 from behind the arc. However, it was the efforts of MarJon Beauchamp that made a difference for the Bucks in this one.
In 13 bench minutes, the second-year wing finished the game vs. the Knicks with 13 points, two rebounds, and two assists. However, he shot 5-7 from the field and 3-5 from three while playing excellent defense. Bucks head coach Adrian Griffin had nothing but positive things to say about Beauchamp's performance. “He's really establishing himself as a threat on both sides of the ball.”
Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo have also each spoken highly of Beauchamp. “He’s definitely a big part of this team and he needs to know this,” Antetokounmpo said. “Not because I said it, because the whole team believes it.”
Despite the fact that Beauchamp averaged just five points per game as a rookie, the leaders of his team have a lot of faith in him. That's due to the effort they've seen him give in training camp and his versatility on both sides of the ball. If Beauchamp can replicate Friday night's performance, the Bucks have themselves a strong young talent. After all, they selected him in the first round for a reason.
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