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Indiana Pacers: 5 Players To Consider With 20th Pick

By Cameron Stewart

Mar 5, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) brings the ball up court during the first half of a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2016; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Denzel Valentine (45) brings the ball up court during the first half of a game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 11, 2016; Syracuse, NY, USA; Florida State Seminoles guard Malik Beasley (5) brings the ball up court during the first half of a game against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome. Syracuse won 85-72. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /

Malik Beasley

6-foot-6,190 pounds, Florida State (freshman)
2015-16 college stats: 15.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists.

While very different from Valentine, Florida State shooting guard Malik Beasley could also prove to be a solid pick for the Indiana Pacers.

Beasley’s an athletic wing with a sweet shooting stroke, which is a great outline for what you want out of a shooting guard.

It would be unlikely that Beasley can contribute right away, but has the mold of a player who could be a steal with a reasonable level of development.

Beasley’s shooting should make him a passable rotation player at worst in a couple years.

His athleticism is what could really allow him to be a long-time starting shooting guard in the NBA. Athleticism for a wing is a great starting point because you can develop other parts of your game, but it’s hard to develop athleticism.

If Beasley can become a better ball-handler, his game will see a huge boost in productivity as he’ll be able to create his own shot more effectively and the game should slow down for him.

Beasley’s defense was a mixed bag of results. Sometimes his athleticism would allow him to chase passes down to create transition opportunities. Other times, he’d trust his athleticism a bit too much and was over-aggressive, creating ideal opportunities for his opposition.

His athleticism and six foot seven inch wingspan would seem to be conducive to him being at least average defensively in a few years.

Beasley wasn’t a McDonald’s All-American in high school but a standout freshman season has him at nearly a first-round lock in the draft despite a stress fracture in his foot that has kept him from working out with teams throughout the pre-draft process.

It’s not hard to imagine that if Beasley stayed in school for an additional year, continued to improve, added some muscle, and improved his ball-handling that he’d be a lottery pick in a draft next year.

Beasley will likely be available when it’s Indiana’s time to draft and stealing a player who could’ve potentially earned his way into the lottery in a year or two could be a great shot at drafting a player who could be of great value with the 20th pick.

Next: The Lightning-Quick Point Guard

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