Minnesota Timberwolves: How does Malik Beasley fit into the future?

A restricted free agent after a blazing first impression, the Minnesota Timberwolves have to determine how Malik Beasley fits into their future.

Malik Beasley was dealt to the Minnesota Timberwolves as part of the four-team mega-deal that sent Robert Covington to the Houston Rockets and Clint Capela to the Atlanta Hawks. He arrived two days before the Wolves swapped Andrew Wiggins for D’Angelo Russell and eight days before Karl-Anthony Towns played his final game of the season due to a wrist injury.

With KAT sidelined and DLo still finding his way, Beasley was given the offense on a team whose playoff hopes had all but diminished. A scarcely used wing since being drafted 19th by the Denver Nuggets in 2016, his minutes increased by nearly 15 a game and his shot attempts nearly doubled. By the time the season shut down, the career 8.2 points per game scorer had put up 20.7 points along with 5.1 rebounds a night in 14 games.

He ran with an opportunity provided, but it was one that might not be present next year, which raises concern over how he can fit it alongside Minny’s two All-Stars to get the Wolves back into the playoff picture.

How good Russell and Towns look as a duo will be based significantly on the attention the other three Wolves on the court command. Beasley was 31-of-77 on catch-and-shoot triples (40.3 percent), which should aid one of the three worst teams in 3-point percentage and keep help defenders away from KAT in ways Wiggins’ inconsistent jumper never could.

Ryan Saunders made a concerted effort to up the tempo upon landing the head coaching job, having his team rank No. 3 in pace after coming in 13th the season prior. Though they got out in transition quite a bit, the Wolves failed to capitalize on even half of their opportunities.

Beasley ranked inside the 86th percentile in transition. He’s athletic and can absorb contact while finishing through traffic, which should help bump that bottom-10 mark and incentivize more fastbreak chances.

His shooting and transition game should capitalize on the opportunities Towns and Russell create. The question lies in whether two of the league’s highest-usage players can peel back just enough of their ball dominance to make room for the ways Beasley can help on the ball just as much as off it.

The pull-up 3-pointer has become a crucial element of attack for perimeter shot creators, making their presence coming off a screen even harder to defend. Beasley canned 18-of-37 pull-up triples, needing little space to elevate quite a bit on his rapid-release jumper.

Combined with his explosiveness and change of direction, Beasley is a dangerous ballhandler in the pick-and-roll who can create just about anything he wants for himself. He got as many such possessions in 14 games with the Wolves as he did in 41 appearances in Denver yet still managed to rank inside the 94th percentile.

Only one other player during the 2019-20 season ranked above the 90th percentile as a pick-and-roll ball-handler while hitting more than 40.0 percent of their pull-up triples. This is in no way to suggest that Malik Beasley is following in the footsteps of Damian Lillard — his volume pales in comparison. Only to highlight the incredible potency of such a dynamic offensive package.

Beasley will look fine spotting up in the corners or getting out in transition. He’s also an above-average cutter who uses pivot speed to use the defender’s momentum against him for an easy look at the rim.

But Minnesota would be doing a disservice having him play spectator to Russell and KAT as many other members of the Timberwolves are likely to do. Except none offer the potential of Beasley that was showcased to close out the shortened season.

The volume was small enough to avoid any overwhelming conclusions. They were still convincing enough to warrant further inspection in front of defenses likely to give Beasley more respect than he’s previously commanded in his NBA career.

That might still result in an offense centered around the two-man game of their All-Star caliber players. Not lacking in volume should be the primary touches for Beasley’s exploits to help ease a burden KAT and DLo have carried for quite some time.

For all that needs to be ironed out offensively, the Wolves might have to answer more at the defensive end. That trio appeared in just one game for a total of 23 minutes. They scored at a rapid pace with an offensive rating of 131.5 yet posted a staggering defensive output of 136.4.

None of Beasley, Russell or Towns are even middling defenders. That puts a lot of pressure on switchable wings like Josh Okogie and Jarrett Culver to mitigate the woes of their teammates no matter how much they bring to the other side of the court.

The Timberwolves have more pressing issues to deal with at the moment regarding how to move forward with the No. 1 overall pick. Re-signing Beasley remains a priority soon after.

He is a restricted free agent, which means the dollar amount of his new deal will likely take care of itself. Set by offer sheets of the few teams with money to spend this offseason and matched by a Wolves team that wouldn’t have acquired the 23-year-old without intending to bring him back.

And hopefully, ensure he has the chance to be a difference-maker to help elevate Minnesota in a crowded Western Conference.