3. Malik Beasley
Malik Beasley has quietly put together a career year across the board. He's averaging 11.6 points on a career-best 61.9 percent true shooting, while also averaging 42.8 percent from long-range (on 6.8 attempts).
He's been a hell of an addition for Milwaukee on the vet-minimum.
This isn't anything new, as players tend to play better when a looming pay day is on the line.
Granted, he doesn't put pressure on defenses in halfcourt situations around the rim. But that's okay, because he makes up for it in catch-and-shoot situations.
However, he got squeezed out of the Lakers' playoff rotation last season because his outside shot simply wasn't falling (26.9 percent from deep in last years postseason).
His long-range shot also fell off a cliff the year before, as he made 37.7 percent of his treys in 2021-22, but made just 32 percent of his triples in the playoffs.
There's a track record here.
And defensively, he's not always the most active and engaged (to put it politely). This is more of a concern than his inconsistent jumper, and could ultimately be what gets him squeezed out of Doc Rivers' postseason lineup.