Milwaukee Bucks to deploy its new offensive weapon in Malik Beasley

Malik Beasley may play a vital role for the Bucks this season.

© Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Bucks’ offseason plans centered primarily on bringing back two of their most important players—All-Stars Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez—who were unrestricted free agents. The team succeeded in re-signing the two, albeit leaving little resources on the table to address other areas of need.

However, in an unexpected move, the Bucks pulled a rabbit from their hat, signing seven-year-pro Malik Beasley to the veteran’s minimum. This gives Milwaukee another outside threat who can help give Giannis Antetokounmpo the space he needs to do the most damage.

Talent retention

As mentioned, the Bucks needed to re-sign two key core pieces in Middleton and Lopez. Aside from the two, Milwaukee held on to rugged forward Jae Crowder and acquired Brook Lopez’s twin brother, Robin.

“The Bucks' primary objective this offseason was talent retention, and they did what they needed to do in that department. They held onto key starters Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez and even re-signed Jae Crowder, who struggled to find a role after his deadline deal to Milwaukee but still seems like a good fit on paper,” Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report wrote.

Maximize spacing

Given how Giannis attacks the basket and collapses defenses, the Bucks needed to maximize the spacing around him. That’s why they signed Beasley, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers last season. A career 37 percent shooter from deep, Beasley made over 42 percent of his three-point attempts in 2020 while still playing for Minnesota and averaged a career-high 20.7 points per game.

“Malik Beasley isn't guaranteed to crack that either, but given Milwaukee's need to maximize spacing around Giannis Antetokounmpo, one would think Beasley's outside shot would be an asset. He doesn't have much to his game beyond that, but his three-ball, which has a 37.8 percent success rate for his career, has typically registered between good and great,” Buckley added.