The New York Knicks made some big moves this offseason to try and compete for a championship. Largely, they have been successful with the team sitting third in the Eastern Conference standings and boasting one of the best offenses in the league. However, their record against the top teams has left many to question how serious of contenders they really are. This late in the season, teams will try and augment their roster in any way they can to improve. The Knicks have taken a flier on former first-round pick MarJon Beauchamp, signing him to a two-way deal.
New York Knicks Sign MarJon Beauchamp
MarJon Beauchamp was the 24th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks. He never could crack the rotation in Milwaukee and was dealt to the Los Angeles Clippers before this year’s trade deadline. The Clippers released him on Saturday. To make room for him, the New York Knicks waived Matt Ryan and Jacob Toppin. Beauchamp has limited experience in the NBA. He has only made 12 starts, averaging 4.2 points and 1.0 rebounds. The former G-League star has mostly played in garbage time.
For the New York Knicks, they get to see what the former first-round pick can add to their team. There was a reason he was drafted in the first round. In today’s NBA, a team can never have too many wing players. Beauchamp is 6-foot-6 and has good ball-handling skills. While limited, his shooting percentages are solid, and in the right situation, he could become a valuable member of a playoff rotation. Tom Thibodeau doesn’t have a large rotation, but injuries happen, and having a high-quality backup on the bench is never a bad idea.
Rest Of The Season Outlook
The signing of MarJon Beauchamp is a good one for the New York Knicks. They aren’t committed to him long-term, and they can see what he can do. The best-case scenario is that he can come in and be the seventh or eighth guy in the playoff rotation. Worst case? He gets released in ten days. No harm. No foul. The rest of the season will be defined by whether the team can improve their defense and start beating the elite teams in the NBA.
If the playoffs started today, the New York Knicks would play the Detroit Pistons. Detroit has been one of the great stories this NBA season and would be far from an easy out. From there, they would likely have to face the Boston Celtics, who have murdered them all year. Those two series would be just to get to the conference championship. The team has the talent. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns have had All-NBA-type seasons. Josh Hart and OG Anunoby have shown their worth time and time again. This team has the talent but is lacking something to get over the hump.
Final Thoughts
As I said before, this is a good signing. We’ve seen many NBA championships won because of savvy late-season signings. Maybe the Bucks and Clippers didn’t know how to unlock the skill set of MarJon Beauchamp. If Thibodeau and his staff can, they could gain a valuable piece for their championship run.
