The Los Angeles Lakers got another body back for practice Tuesday, as forward Michael Beasley returned to the team after being listed as inactive for a week, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Beasley, 29, made his return in practice after being away from the team for four games due to personal reasons pertaining to a family issue. Prior to his time away from the team, Beasley had yet to make a significant impact, averaging 1.0 points and 1.0 rebounds in just 3.3 minutes per game. He had only appeared in three of the Lakers first six games.
With Brandon Ingram having recently returned from his suspension stemming from the multi-player altercation involving teammate Rajon Rondo and Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul, it is unlikely that Beasley’s playing time will increase. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the 11-season and seven-team veteran will remain buried behind LeBron James, Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Lance Stephenson, Josh Hart and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on the Lakers' wing depth chart.
Despite a lack of depth at the center position, the Lakers have yet to experiment with Beasley as a small-ball 5, preferring instead to use James and Kuzma as options around starter Javale McGee. With Tyson Chandler expected to join the team after his buyout, that center depth will be shored up as well.
Due to the lack of playing time, Michael Beasley had yet to show some of the scoring ability he displayed during his time off the New York Knicks' bench last season. Beasley averaged 13.2 points in 22.3 minutes per game for New York.
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