MarJon Beauchamp is back in the NBA. Per The Athletic's Tony Jones, the Philadelphia 76ers have picked up the former first-round pick of the Milwaukee Bucks via a two-way contract. The Athletic's Joe Vardon (subscription required) reported earlier this month that the wing had been pushing back on overseas offers in hopes of getting an NBA deal, and that has now come to fruition.
MarJon Beauchamp gets another shot at NBA dreams
Recently suiting up for Philadelphia's G League team, Beauchamp was playing like he was determined to stay stateside. In seven games with the Blue Coats this year, he averaged 20.7 points, 4.9 boards, three assists, and 1.1 steals per contest. It was a small sample size, but perhaps the most impressive takeaway was him shooting 45.2 percent from behind the arc, a known weakness of his.
He looked like the player the Milwaukee Bucks envisioned when they drafted him 24th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft. Yet, he never reached those heights in Milwaukee. Not even close.
While the fit wasn't seamless right off the bat, there was potential when the Bucks selected him with that first-round pick. The team had been — and, frankly, still is — deprived of legitimate wing depth for a long time, and adding a youngster to fill that void had some merit. However, Beauchamp was never able to translate his potential to the NBA court.
During his two and a half seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks, the young wing averaged 4.2 points, two rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 11.6 minutes per game. Just when it felt like he was starting to find his footing under former Bucks coach Adrian Griffin, Beauchamp was booted from the rotation upon Doc Rivers' takeover in his second season. He never managed to reclaim his spot.
Beauchamp was traded to the LA Clippers midway through his third NBA season straight up for Kevin Porter Jr. At the time, Bucks fans called that trade a win, and that sentiment has only grown. This year, Porter is averaging 20.4 points and 7.5 assists as Milwaukee's second option, while Beauchamp just got promoted to a two-way deal. That will always be a trade the Milwaukee Bucks easily won.
Beauchamp has done plenty of traveling the past year, suiting up for the Bucks, Clippers, Knicks, and the 76ers (soon). He is clearly pushing for an NBA comeback, and perhaps Philadelphia will help him work his way onto a standard roster once again soon enough.
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