New York Knicks: Michael Beasley is the hero we need, but don’t deserve

Michael Beasley came up huge for the New York Knicks against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Can he be the missing piece for the Knicks?

Saturday’s primetime matchup between the New York Knicks and Oklahoma Thunder lived up to its hype. The Knicks won 111-96 in front of a sold-out crowd at Madison Square Garden.

Even without superstar Kristaps Porzingis, New York put on an offensive display that prioritized ball movement and teamwork over isolation play. That type of play enabled the “left-handed Carmelo Anthony” from standing out.

Michael Beasley put up 30 points (tied for a season high) on an extremely efficient 11-18 shooting from the field. He even went 2-of-2 from three-point range.

The thing about Beasley’s performance is that it isn’t that surprising. If you’ve watched him play this season, you know he’s more than capable of these type of offensive outbursts.

Many people forget: Beasley averaged 19.2 points per game back in his third season in the NBA. This is already his second 30-point performance of the 2017-18, and it doesn’t seem out of the question that he could have more.

He’s a walking bucket and your favorite player’s favorite player. He brings the sense a confidence that Porzingis is beginning to find. Beasley is the type of player that has the, “Mamba Mentality,” in that he’ll shoot himself out of a slump.

It’s this type of mentality that’s made him beloved by many Knicks fans in just 29 games.

Why Michael Beasley Is The Knicks’ Real Hero

When Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony left this past offseason, they took their media storm with them. If you don’t remember, seemingly every week last year brought a new form of off-court drama.

That includes everything from Derrick Rose disappearing to Charles Oakley trying to square up with James Dolan to Phil Jackson calling out his “franchise player” as a poor teammate.

This year’s team has very little negative buzz. This is where Michael Beasley comes into this equation. If you remember, he dropped this legendary interview and established himself as the Knicks’ most prolific personality before the season even started.

He’s become the team’s biggest player distraction and compared to last year, that’s about the best thing his signing could have brought. The difference is: He’s much more to this team than a media target.

Where Beasley’s Role Goes From Here

This man wears a watch on his ankle and is basically as good as LeBron James and Kevin Durant—in his opinion. 29 games into the season, fans actually understand he’s not quite as crazy as he sounds.

While he certainly isn’t a superstar, Beasley has a rare measure of talent as a scorer.

In five starts, Beasley is averaging 19.6 points per game on 57.3 percent shooting from the field and 60.0 percent shooting from beyond the three-point line. Those are starter numbers, and if it wasn’t for his—let’s go with lackluster—defense, he would be starting.

His main issue is that he has a hard time staying engaged 100 percent of the time while on the court. He often takes plays off on defense and will foul in many situations where it’s unnecessary.

This lack of focus has given him one of his defining moments as a Knick, when he fouled out in 10 minutes while only scoring one point. You can’t make this type of stuff up.

It’s obvious that once Porzingis is fully healthy and back in the starting lineup, Beasley’s minutes will take a hit. He played a season-high 38 minutes against Oklahoma CIty, but only averages 13.6 when coming off the bench.

He’ll need a way to stay productive in limited minutes and be fully engaged on the court.

Must Read: Who stepped up against the Oklahoma City Thunder?

So far, however, it looks like the New York Knicks might have found themselves a steal this offseason in Michael Beasley.

Be easy, Michael Beasley.