Malik Beasley (PG/SG, DEN) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add In 14-Team Leagues

OWNED IN: 12% of leagues

ANALYSIS: So far through 34 games of the 2018 NBA season, Malik Beasley is averaging 9.1 points and 2.5 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per contest. While those figures seem insignificant, they are a vast step in the right direction when compared to his averages of 3.2 points and 1.1 rebounds in 9.4 minutes per game from last year. Most impressive for the former Florida State Seminole is the leaps he has made in shooting accuracy. Beasley has improved his conversion rate from downtown in each of his three seasons in the NBA, and this year is making an average of 1.6 three-pointers out of 3.9 attempts per game for a percentage of 39.6%, not to mention that he is currently shooting with 90% efficiency from the free-throw line.

Will Barton and Gary Harris have been out recently, and the Nuggets just waived Nick Young after a brief stint with the team, so as a result Beasley has received a significant boost in playing time over the last five games in particular. Since Denver's December 18th match-up against the Mavericks; Beasley has put up 16.2 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and an attention-getting 1.8 steals per game. Though Barton and Harris are slated to make their return to the floor sometime soon, "The Mutant" has put his skills in scoring and perimeter defense on prominent display, and his consistent three-point shooting could help further carve out more minutes in the future. Though he should mostly be considered an asset of value in deeper leagues for the time being, Malik Beasley is dangerous in putting points on the board when he received ample floor-time.