V.J. Beachem, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Upside Comparison: Francisco Garcia
Position: Small Forward
Age: 22 (1/15/1995)
Height, Weight, Wingspan: 6’8″, 192 pounds, 6’10.25″
2016-17 Slash Line: .422/.361/.836
2016-17 Season Averages: 34.2 MPG, 14.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.1 BPG, 0.9 SPG, 2.4 3PM
The New York Knicks recently worked out Notre Dame Fighting Irish small forward V.J. Beachem. Beachem is currently ranked as the No. 67 overall prospect by DraftExpress and the No. 70 overall prospect by Chad Ford of ESPN Insider.
If the New York Knicks are looking to shore up the small forward position, then signing Beachem as an undrafted free agent could be a low-risk way to do so.
Beachem has prototypical size for the small forward position at 6’8″ with a 6’10” wingspan and an 8’9″ standing reach. He’s not a LeBron James type of athlete, but he can play above the rim with a 37″ max vertical leap—above-average leaping ability for a player his size.
Although he wasn’t an elite defender in college, Beachem has the physical tools and versatility to provide a positive impact on the defensive end of the floor.
As far as his skill set is concerned, Beachem has the potential to be a matchup nightmare at the next level. He converted 175 3-point field goals on 39.9 percent shooting between his junior and senior seasons. He averaged 3.0 3-point field goals made per 40 minutes for his career.
With an exceptional outside shot and good size, Beachem could either be a traditional floor-spacing small forward or a small-ball stretch 4.