Speaking to Shams Charania of Stadium (Twitter video link), Bucks shooting guard Malik Beasley explained the thinking behind his decision to sign Milwaukee over the summer when he reached unrestricted free agency.
“Definitely wanted to win a championship, that was one of my goals,” Beasley said. “I felt that I’m at a point in my career where I just want to win and do whatever I can for the team. With the Bucks I felt like the dynamic of Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and being able to space the floor for them, I felt like that was huge. I looked into all that, making sure I would be able to get some reps, making sure I’d be able to get some playing time.”
“I do feel like I’m one of the best shooters in the league,” Beasley added. “I’m not try to be cocky or anything, I’m just confident.”
There’s more out of the Central Division:
- Pascal Siakam‘s new Pacers teammates were encouraged by his strong debut for the club, a 21-point showing in a 118-115 loss to the Trail Blazers, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star. “We were just learning how to go on the fly, just going off our basketball brains,” All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton said. “It’s like playing pickup a little bit out there. That’s the exciting part for us I think is we get back here is, we played alright, but there’s so much more room for us.”
- Cavaliers 10-day signee Pete Nance is reveling in his opportunity to play for his favorite team, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (subscription required). “It’s surreal,” Nance told Fedor. “The goal was to get a call-up from the G League at some point, but to have it be the Cavs, it’s just a really cool thing for me. I’m super excited. I grew up a lifelong Cavs fan. Something I’ve thought about my whole life. I’ve been working for this my whole life. It’s a dream come true.” Pete’s father Larry Nance played for the Cavs from 1988-94, while his brother Larry Nance Jr. was with the team from 2018-21.
- The struggling Pistons face an intriguing trade deadline. In a new reader mailbag, Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press (subscription required) unpacks Detroit’s options, suggesting that the team will essentially view the trade deadline as an opportunity to get a head-start on the offseason by adding players who will be with the team beyond this season.
25-15 and the 4th seed now. Been saying don’t sleep on the Cavs. Still missing two starters. When they get 100% healthy. They can make some noise. Team will be better with bench getting prime mins. East is strong this yr.
The Cavs are looking good. Okoro plays great D. Learning to score. Strus and Merill can shoot!
The Cavaliers are 12-3 since Garland and Evan Mobley
Pistons should give Soku another chance. Two way or something
Shoutout to Dean Wade, too (17 pts on 6/7, +11). The Cavs are better when he stays aggressive on both ends. Not necessarily actually scoring, but constantly moving, getting himself in good spots, setting tough screens. Rebounding, sticking with his assignments like glue on defense. He’s not the type to over-commit, which sometimes makes him seem timid, but when he’s ready he’s valuable, even if it’s not obvious. He’s got a good shooting touch, so when he gets good looks, you can trust him to make things happen too.