Will the Lakers make it to the Western Conference Playoffs?
Michael Beasley is one of the controversial acquisitions of the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason. In the recent free agency, the 29-year-old small forward signed a one-year, $3.5 million deal with the Lakers to reunite with his former Miami Heat teammate LeBron James.
Despite having the best basketball player on the planet in their roster, there are still some people who doubt if the Lakers can finally end their playoff drought next season. In an interview with Bleacher Report, Michael Beasley admitted hearing about the predictions for the Lakers, but he said that they are the only one who will decide their own fate. Beasley strongly believes that the Lakers will be where they want to be at the end of the year.
“As of now, we’re out, according to all the polls. Rightfully so. But I think we’re a team that will be able to decide our own fate by how hard we work and how much we’re willing to sacrifice physically and mentally. I’m not going to put my foot in my mouth and say we’re going to win 25 championships or 75 games, no. But I’m confident that we got a group of guys that wants to play basketball the right way, wants to win and work hard. With that being said, I think we can be exactly where we want to be at the end of the year.”
Michael Beasley believes one of the toughest challenges for the Lakers is immediately building a good chemistry. Almost half of their roster consists of newcomers, and Lakers Head Coach Luke Walton will be having a tough task making all those pieces work around LeBron James. However, Beasley predicted that running and spacing the floor will be fun for the Lakers next season.
Beasley said that it’s rare to be on a team with three guys — LeBron James, Lonzo Ball, and Rajon Rondo — who average more than seven assists per game. The veteran small forward also doesn’t think there is something to be worried about the Lakers’ floor-spacing next season. Beasley explained that the reason why his new teammates like Lance Stephenson and Rajon Rondo don’t have good reputations shooting from beyond the arc is that they were not asked to shoot threes by their previous teams.
Beasley is confident that he can also help in improving the Lakers’ three-point shooting. In the 74 games he played with the New York Knicks last season, Beasley averaged 13.2 points and 5.6 rebounds on 50.7 percent shooting from the field and 39.5 percent from beyond the arc. Though he’s not expected to be a starter next season, Beasley vowed to do everything he can to help the Lakers earn a playoff spot in the deep Western Conference.
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