It’s only 20 minutes into Day 1 of the MB5 Pro Academy and Malik Beasley’s gray t-shirt is already soaked in sweat.
First, Beasley joins forces with campers half his size for a spirited 2-on-2 game. Moments later he sprints over to the adjacent hoop where boys and girls ages 12-16 try to drive by the 6-foot-5 guard and score a layup. Then, Beasley jogs to center court and works with his young hoopers on their defensive slides, preaching the benefits of staying low to the ground when defending your opponent.
Beasley’s annual camp is his way of giving back to the community where the 22-year-old has spent his entire three-year NBA career.
“Its grown so much. We have 190 kids now. It started off with like 75 so its been pretty cool,” Beasley told BSN Denver at Montbello Rec Center where his academy has been held each of the last three summers. “It’s good to see the kids grow, see some of the same faces and new faces every year. It’s just good to be out here with the kids. It’s not just about being an NBA player. It’s about giving back too and showing that I care about them like a family.”
The two-day camp, which focused on skill development on Saturday and culminated in a showcase game on Sunday, is free to attend and run by Beasley, his agent Rich Gray of Gray Area Sports Group, and coaches from both Denver and Atlanta where Beasley is originally from. It’s something the shooting guard has wanted to develop ever since he attended Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry’s academies as a rising high schooler.
“I’ve always wanted my own camp,” Beasley said. “I want to be involved in these kids’ lives.”
He managed to fit the camp smack dab in the middle of a busy summer where Beasley has locked himself in the gym ahead of what he’s viewing as a pivotal fourth season. He’s been grinding, working to improve his off-the-dribble game while replicating aspects of last summer’s offseason shooting regiment which helped Beasley find some much-needed consistency with his jumper. Beasley shot 40% from 3 last year and registered the third-highest EFG% among all guards.
But you won’t find any clips of Beasley sinking jumpers or throwing down tomahawk slams on Twitter or Instagram. He makes it a point to keep his summer workouts off social media and would rather let his play — in what could be an expanded role next season — speak for itself.
After averaging 11.3 points and coming off the bench in 63 of the 81 games he appeared in last year, Beasley is expected to compete for the Nuggets’ starting small forward spot this fall.
In 18 games as a starter last season, he averaged 15.9 points on 55.1% shooting from the field, 50% from 3 and the Nuggets’ five-man lineup combination of Beasley, Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, Paul Millsap and Nikola Jokic posted elite offensive and defensive numbers, albeit in a small sample size.
However, if Beasley continues to come off the bench next year, he’ll still be an integral piece to a deep rotation. Last season, Denver’s bench was a key ingredient to its appearance in the Western Conference semifinals where the Nuggets fell to the Trail Blazers in seven games and every major contributor from last season’s 54-win team is back this year. That includes Beasley, Monte Morris, Mason Plumlee and Torrey Craig, the core of Denver’s second unit. The Nuggets also added versatile forward Jerami Grant this summer who will garner significant playing time off the Nuggets’ bench.
Add in Denver’s ultimate wildcard in rookie Michael Porter Jr., who’s expected to battle for a rotation spot throughout training camp and the preseason, and the Nuggets are positioned to improve on last year’s playoff appearance which served as the first ounce of postseason experience for six members of Denver’s nightly rotation.
After the Nuggets’ breakout season, Beasley will head to training camp in under two months with one goal in mind.
“Championship. That’s been my goal since I came in the league,” Beasley said. “It doesn’t change no matter how far we went last year or the year before, but I’m not settling for anything less. I’m going for the championship. I don’t care who’s on the West coast or who’s in the East.”
The nearly 200 kids who piled into Montbello Rec Center would hope for nothing more than for Beasley to be a key figure in leading the Nuggets towards that lofty goal. They would also want Beasley, who’s under contract for roughly $2.7 million next year but is eligible to sign a rookie extension with the Nuggets this fall that would kick in at the start of the 2020-21 season, to remain in Denver long-term so that they can continue to try and score on the rising shooting guard in future summers.
The Nuggets will present Beasley with an extension later this offseason, according to a league source, and if the two sides agree to a deal he could make Denver his home for the next several years.
“Of course it’s always good to get it out of the way,” Beasley said of a potential extension. “But right now I’m not even worried about that. I’m just working on my game. No matter what happens I’m going to be ready next season.”
“I could definitely see myself in Denver long-term.”
