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Detroit Pistons: What if Michael Beasley and Christian Wood make roster?

By Aaron Ferguson

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 09: Michael Beasley #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers guards Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons as he drives to the basket in the first half of the game at Staples Center on January 9, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 09: Michael Beasley #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers guards Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons as he drives to the basket in the first half of the game at Staples Center on January 9, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 9: Michael Beasley #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks the ball against the Detroit Pistons on January 9, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 9: Michael Beasley #11 of the Los Angeles Lakers dunks the ball against the Detroit Pistons on January 9, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Keeping Beasley

Beasley, 30, is an 11-year veteran that has as much offensive ability as anybody. He has an innate ability to get a bucket from any spot on the floor, and that’s been evident at every stop in his career. His best fit is on the wing as a 6-foot-9 small forward but he can also slide to the power forward position.

light. Related Story. Why Michael Beasley's signing is good for the Pistons' future

Throwing last season’s experiment out the window due to inconsistencies in his life and an ever-changing Los Angeles Lakers rotation, Beasley had found a consistent 3-point shot from 2016-18. He had regular playing time and was finally knocking down 3-pointers with consistency.

Per Game Table
Season Age Tm G GS MP FG FGA FG% 3PA 3P% 2PA 2P% eFG% FTA FT% TRB AST STL BLK TOV PF PTS
2008-09 20 MIA 81 19 24.8 5.6 11.8 .472 1.0 .407 10.8 .478 .490 3.0 .772 5.4 1.0 0.5 0.5 1.5 2.3 13.9
2009-10 21 MIA 78 78 29.8 6.0 13.3 .450 1.3 .275 12.0 .469 .463 3.1 .800 6.4 1.3 1.0 0.6 1.7 2.8 14.8
2010-11 22 MIN 73 73 32.3 7.7 17.1 .450 2.2 .366 14.8 .463 .474 4.0 .753 5.6 2.2 0.7 0.7 2.7 3.0 19.2
2011-12 23 MIN 47 7 23.1 4.7 10.6 .445 2.1 .376 8.4 .462 .483 2.0 .642 4.4 1.0 0.4 0.4 1.7 1.8 11.5
2012-13 24 PHO 75 20 20.7 4.1 10.2 .405 1.9 .313 8.3 .426 .434 1.7 .746 3.8 1.5 0.4 0.5 1.9 1.4 10.1
2013-14 25 MIA 55 2 15.1 3.2 6.5 .499 1.0 .389 5.5 .518 .528 1.4 .772 3.1 0.8 0.4 0.4 1.0 1.7 7.9
2014-15 26 MIA 24 1 21.0 3.8 8.8 .434 1.4 .235 7.4 .472 .453 1.1 .769 3.7 1.3 0.6 0.5 1.5 2.8 8.8
2015-16 27 HOU 20 0 18.2 5.4 10.3 .522 0.5 .333 9.8 .531 .529 2.5 .776 4.9 0.8 0.6 0.5 1.2 2.0 12.8
2016-17 28 MIL 56 6 16.7 3.9 7.3 .532 0.8 .419 6.5 .545 .554 1.9 .743 3.4 0.9 0.5 0.5 1.2 1.6 9.4
2017-18 29 NYK 74 30 22.3 5.5 10.9 .507 1.2 .395 9.7 .520 .528 2.1 .780 5.6 1.7 0.5 0.6 1.9 2.0 13.2
2018-19 30 LAL 26 2 10.7 2.9 5.9 .490 0.7 .176 5.2 .529 .500 1.5 .718 2.3 1.0 0.3 0.4 1.0 1.6 7.0
Career 609 238 22.8 5.1 10.9 .465 1.4 .349 9.5 .481 .487 2.4 .759 4.7 1.3 0.6 0.5 1.7 2.1 12.4

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/21/2019.

Remarkably, Beasley has scored 28 points per 100 possessions in his 11-year career. In addition to hitting upwards of 39.5 percent of 3-point attempts from 2016-18, Beasley is a career 38.5 percent shooter on corner 3-point attempts. Though in the aforementioned years where he saw a spike in his 3-point percentage were some of his worst in the corner.

The former No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft received high praise from Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers back in 2011 after Beasley scored 19 points in 23 minutes of the Celtics 96-93 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

"“Offensively, I’ve been a big believer in him,’ Rivers told the Star Tribune on Jan. 4, 2011. ‘I just think he can score. I said it two years ago: I think one day he may lead the league in scoring. He just knows how to score the ball. He has a Carmelo ability to score the ball.’ Beasley scored 19 points, playing only 23 minutes because of foul trouble. ‘He’s a matchup problem every night,’ Rivers said. ‘He’s tough for 3s [small forwards] to guard because of his size. He’s too quick for 4s [power forwards]. And he can shoot. Obviously that’s the key. He has quickness and a shot at that size. That makes him tough to guard.’”"

He would be an instant upgrade on the wing to play behind, and possibly push, Snell at small forward. Inserting Beasley in a second unit that features the only player drafted ahead of Beasley, Derrick Rose, with sharpshooter Luke Kennard and veteran Markieff Morris would be a great asset.

Detroit Pistons 2019-20 preview: Michael Beasley's profile. light. Related Story

It becomes more reasonable after Pistons senior adviser Ed Stefanski hinted that this year’s No. 15 pick, Doumbouya, may not see a lot of playing time.

But that still leaves a hole at backup center. Dwane Casey does have options internally but even then, it would be best-suited for small-ball lineups. Detroit could scour the trade market in hopes of acquiring in a legit backup center.

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