From Peyton Watson to Jonathan Kuminga, as the Milwaukee Bucks continue to search for that final small forward piece to round out their roster, a reunion with their former first-round pick in MarJon Beauchamp may be worth considering. It does, after all, make much more sense than one would initially think.
A Marjon Beauchamp reunion could benefit Bucks more than fans think
Bucks fans of the past era will remember Beauchamp for the promise he showed in his rookie season under former head coach Mike Budenholzer. He was, for a time, the final piece with the promise of locking down the opposing team's best player while staying within the flow of the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led offense as a slasher and floor-spacer and nothing more than that.
But of course, things didn't work out that way, and Beauchamp eventually fell out of the rotation under Adrian Griffin and Doc Rivers until he was ultimately booted from the team. Beauchamp bounced around the league from team to team until he found a bit of a spark with the Philadelphia 76ers. And that's exactly what has him looking like a noteworthy prospect once more.
In 14 games for Philly, Beauchamp put up 6.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game on 14.0 minutes a night. In those games, Beauchamp also held all opposing players to just 30-for-85 shooting or 35.3 field goal percentage, according to matchup data on NBA.com/stats, showing he never lost that dogged mentality on the defensive side of the ball.
The Bucks have a litany of go-to options in the backcourt, but they're simply lacking in size when it comes to defending the Shai Gilgeous-Alexanders of the world. If their Peyton Watson and Jonathan Kuminga pursuits don't pan out, Beauchamp should absolutely be one of the names on their list of backup plans. On top of his much-improved play in Philadelphia, he still also somewhat fits their timeline as a relatively young player still at the beginning of his career. There's absolutely a world where Taylor Jenkins can still unlock something out of him the way he did with the likes of GG Jackson and Jaylen Wells.
At 25 years old as of this writing, Beauchamp is far from being an older piece. He’s just a former first-round flier who is cheap, available, and already familiar with the organization and its culture. While everyone else is fixated on emptying the remaining asset chest for a high-priced trade target, bringing Beauchamp back on a minimum or non-guaranteed training camp deal costs essentially nothing.
MarJon Beauchamp could also benefit from another chance in the league
An argument can be made that what Marjon lacked all this time was stability and a franchise willing to invest real, consequence-free minutes into his rough edges. And now the pressure-cooker environment of chasing a title with a veteran core is gone. In its place is a rebuild focusing on youth and development, which one would think are the exact conditions a raw prospect like Beauchamp needs to actually breathe and figure out his game.
In a perfect world, Beauchamp is not trying to win a championship with this Bucks team anymore if they sign him. He's simply trying to stay alive and show the league what he's made of, which would allow the Bucks to flip him for more assets later on.
When the Bucks drafted Beauchamp 24th overall back in 2022, they envisioned a bouncy, long-limbed transition scorer who could eventually develop into a 3-and-D anchor. It took a while to get there, but maybe he can still become that if given another chance.
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