Malik Beasley set to re-join Nuggets Saturday

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DENVER — Nuggets’ rookie Malik Beasley will return from his D-League assignment with the Sioux Falls Skyforce and re-join the Nuggets Saturday, ahead of their matchup in Denver against the New York Knicks.

https://twitter.com/Mbeasy5/status/809859108644028420

“We want him to know that he’s a Denver Nugget,” Michael Malone said at practice Friday. “He’s a part of our present, a part of our future.”

Beasley, 20, will play for the Skyforce Friday night when they host the Austin Spurs and return to Denver the following day. In total, he will appear in just two games for Sioux Falls.

The No. 19 overall pick in this summer’s draft scored 15 points on 3-14 shooting, grabbed nine rebounds and recorded three assists in the Skyforce’s 97-88 win over the Salt Lake City Stars on Dec. 11.

In nine games this season with the Nuggets, Beasley has played just 54 minutes, totaling 26 points on 9-29 shooting. Beasley’s season-high in minutes came against Golden State on November 10 when the rookie scored 12 points on 5-10 shooting.

The Nuggets plan to use the D-League to get more playing time for Beasley and rookie Juancho Hernangomez, who finds himself out of Denver’s rotation now that the Nuggets are fielding a fully healthy roster for the first time all season.

“I think for [Beasley] and possibly Juancho, at some point, [we want to use] the D-League as a tool in aiding their development,” Malone said. “Because we have such a deep team, minutes will be hard to come by for them if we stay healthy, so I don’t want them just practicing every day and getting player development work. I want them to go play, play games, play against some young, hungry D-League players.”