The Milwaukee Bucks thought they hit a home run when they selected MarJon Beauchamp in the first round of the 2022 NBA Draft. Given the fact that he's still a free agent this late in the summer, it's clear that they did not. As the season draws closer, Beauchamp's NBA future is anything but certain, as he might have to look at external avenues to find his next home.
Bucks' Beauchamp selection didn't hit like they thought
This past season was a turbulent one for Beauchamp. He started the season with Milwaukee, only to be traded at the deadline for Kevin Porter Jr. After playing in three games with the LA Clippers, he got let go, signing with the New York Knicks on a two-way. He played just six contests with them and was unable to play in the NBA Playoffs, a standard rule for two-ways.
Despite auditioning with three franchises last season, Beauchamp remains unsigned as September inches closer. Just three years after the Milwaukee Bucks used a first-round pick on the young wing, the odds of him finding a roster spot seem slim. Drafting young talent hasn't been among Milwaukee's strong suits in recent memory, and Beauchamp is a clear-cut example of that failure.
Luckily for Beauchamp, there are pathways to keep playing, but he's will have to dig himself out of the hole he's currently in. Perhaps that means inking a two-way deal, which he's eligible for, given that he only has three years of NBA service. Maybe he must go overseas to spend a year to catch attention and draw eyes from NBA scouts. There's always room for a bounce back.
Like with many of the Milwaukee Bucks' recent draft picks, there is the question of whether or not the player simply wasn't the right fit or if they weren't developed properly. With a team focused on taking home a title every season, it's hard to develop youngsters. MarJon Beauchamp, even if he had holes in his game, was a casualty of that in Milwaukee. He averaged just 11.4 minutes as a Buck.
For a team that so desperately needed a reliable two-way wing in 2022 - and could still use one today - the MarJon Beauchamp selection made sense for Milwaukee. It's just one of the many recent picks that never panned out like the franchise had hoped.
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