The Los Angeles Lakers were swept out of the NBA Playoffs on Monday with a 113-111 loss in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets. After winning the previous two series in impressive fashion without home-court advantage, the Lakers' run ended there. The team started the season 2-10 only to make some key trades at the deadline to fuel a post-All-Star break run. While LeBron James certainly got people talking regarding his potential future with the team, there's at least one Lakers player who believes this team is good enough as currently constructed to win a championship. Malik Beasley joined the Lakers at the trade deadline, and he believes with a full training camp this team is good enough as is as per Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
Malik Beasley on the Lakers’ ceiling next season: “I don’t think a team can beat us in a seven-game series if we have this experience and a training camp together.”
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) May 23, 2023
Malik Beasley joined the Lakers along with Jarred Vanderbilt in a three-team trade that also brought D'Angelo Russell back to the Purple and Gold. Following the All-Star break, the Lakers went 16-7 to reach the play-in tournament. It's not inconceivable to think that, with a full season of this roster, they would have had perhaps a higher finish in the Western Conference standings.
Since joining the Lakers, Beasley averaged 11.1 points per game, 3.3 rebounds and 1.2 assists. He shot 39.2 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from the 3-point line and 61.9 percent from the line. The Lakers hoped Beasley would be a consistent shooting threat for them, but inconsistency ultimately cost him his starting spot. Throughout the NBA Playoffs, he lost his spot in the rotation as well.
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