MarJon Beauchamp hadn’t played much to start the season but broke out in a big way on Friday to help the Milwaukee Bucks stay undefeated with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Beauchamp produced a season-high 14 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench in the 115-102 win. He finished shooting 6-of-10 from the field off the bench as the Bucks improved to 8-0 for the first time in team history.
The 24th pick scored eight points in the fourth quarter to help the Bucks maintain their lead over the Timberwolves. He seemingly played with high energy and made the right play each time he had the ball.
“That’s my rook, man,” Bucks center Bobby Portis told Melanie Ricks of Bally Sports Milwaukee. “I’ve been telling him since Day 1: ‘Just stay ready. Everybody’s opportunity is going to come around. You just gotta stay sharp, trust in your game and trust your work.’ The work will always work so shout out to my guy for always staying ready and always being in the gym late at night. It showed tonight.”
MarJon Beauchamp has arrived. pic.twitter.com/bBtbRfRXe7
— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) November 5, 2022
Beauchamp entered play on Friday having totaled eight points across four appearances. However, he has seen a larger role this week after logging 16 minutes of work on Wednesday in a win over the Detroit Pistons, recording three points, four rebounds, two steals and one assist.
The Bucks opted to go back to Beauchamp on Friday, and the rookie put up his best outing of the young season. He has displayed great confidence on the court, despite a small role to this point, and has impressed his teammates and coaches.
Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer liked his contributions.
I don’t know if it was three or four games ago that we kind of snuck him into the rotation. He is just, kind of, getting a better feel, getting more confidence and we’re getting more confident in him. He has just got a competitiveness and a pureness that I think his teammates enjoy and are excited for him. He has helped us a lot in the last three or four games.
Beauchamp entered the season with an uncertain role as a first-year player on a veteran-heavy team. However, the team values the versatility Beauchamp can play with and his understanding of the game, which has been on display early.
He will likely see sporadic minutes throughout the season but if he can give the team production as he did on Friday, that could give him the opportunity to see a larger role in the future.
[lawrence-related id=79112,77967,25468]
[mm-video type=video id=01gfnrn1n3n3t4j9vw0j playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01f1jxkahtwnvzepyp image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gfnrn1n3n3t4j9vw0j/01gfnrn1n3n3t4j9vw0j-e667f3ffd1adf924e0c67deb2c4291a4.jpg]
[listicle id=81238]