Recently, it was reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers were bringing in former Ohio State wing Malaki Branham for a private workout. Branham has been linked to the Cavs since the end of the college basketball season. It makes sense, as the young man went to Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, and stayed close to home to play for the Buckeyes. Naturally, though, there are some other prospects out there that will also be coming to town to workout for the Cavaliers, and others have. One of those players set to do so is G-League Ignite wing MarJon Beauchamp, per a report from Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
Beuchamp is one of the more intriguing and mysterious prospects in this entire 2022 NBA Draft. The native of Washington bounced around different high schools during his prep school tenure. He finished off his last high school season at Dream City Christian School, and was pretty much a consensus top-50 player in the class of 2020. However, his plan of enrolling in the 2021 NBA Draft did not work out, and he had brief a junior college stint with Yakima Valley College. He played 12 games for the junior college, and averaged 30.7 points per game, while also grabbing nearly 11 rebounds per game.
The 21-year-old is a polarizing prospect. He averaged over 15 points per game this past season for the Ignite and grabbed over six rebounds a night.
He isn’t a finished prospect in the least, as he showed flashes on both sides of the court. The Cavs, meanwhile, seem to be playing the 2022 NBA Draft pretty close to the vest.
So with that being said, let’s take a closer look at Beauchamp, and his potential fit with the Cavaliers.
MarJon Beauchamp Scouting Report
Height/Weight: 6’6.5″, 197 LBS
2021-2022 G-League Ignite Stats: 15.1 PPG, 6.5 Rebounds, 2.0 APG
3-Point/Field Goal/Free Throw (G-League): 29%/46%/81%
Beauchamp is far from a finished product. He measured in at 6’6.5″ at the combine with a solid 197-pound frame. His athleticism is what sets him apart in this draft class. He’s absolutely ready for the NBA game, at least at the physical level. He has a great first step and attacks the rim with a purpose. He’s a treasure to watch, as every night, he is capable of putting on a highlight reel of dunks.
On the defensive end is where he’s at his best. Using his 7-foot-1 wingspan, he’s able to move with just about anybody. On top of that, he uses his length to get into passing lanes, and disrupt ball-handlers. He averaged over 1.5 steals per game with the G-League Ignite. Then, while causing chaos on defense, he gets to get out on the fastbreak, which is where he puts on a show.
Beauchamp also showed the ability to be a reliable rebounder from the wing. He averaged nearly 7 a game for the Ignite, and he should be able to help whichever team nabs him in the rebounding department.
Like I said, he’s just not a finished prospect. There’s some risk involved in taking him, considering on the offensive end he needs to improve. His three-point shooting was at least average during his time with Yakima Valley College. However, shooting under 30% from deep as a wing player is not going to get it done, regarding his G-League campaign. So he needs to work on his mechanics before he gets to anything else.
The biggest red flag with Beauchamp is that he only got to the free throw line twice a game while playing in the G-League. With his ability to attack the rim with strength and quickness, he should be getting to the line far more often.
Obviously you have to play defense to win a championship, but being a ghost on offense isn’t going to help your team either. Looking at you, Isaac Okoro.
A weapon in the increasingly positionless NBA? Or defensive stopper?
With how the NBA game has changed over the last five years, it’s kind of easy to see where Beauchamp would fit in wherever he gets drafted. His perimeter defense, quickness, and athleticism will get him on the court, but what he does on the court is still a bit up in the air.
As I stated, right now the young man just does not have an offensive arsenal that warrants attention from defenses, yet. With that being said, he has a chance to be a lockdown defender so if he can improve his offensive game, a lot is possible from him.
There are a number of wings in this draft who project as “three-and-D” players. Meaning they can potentially stroke it from behind the arc, while also being a high quality defender on the other end. I have a lot of faith Beauchamp will become a good NBA defender. But, his offense needs to get better, and that will be when we know if he’s really going to be a solid two-way player in the NBA, or just a defensive stopper, kind of like Matisse Thybulle.
The NBA has changed more in the last 10 years than it did over the last 50 years combined. Teams are finding ways to be effective, while also unique every game. The Cavs had three players in their starting lineup that were 6’10” or above, when they were healthy. That’s nearly unheard of. So where does Beauchamp come into play?
Well a decade ago a player like him would probably have a very short NBA career. However, with the positionless-type NBA movement taking over most of league, Beauchamp should have no trouble making an impact at the next level.
Cavs are reportedly casting a wide net
Beauchamp is one of a number prospects who will be in Cleveland for a “group workout” on Wednesday. Luckily, the young man was in town Tuesday touring the facilities and meeting with some of the staff, per Fedor’s report, which is how most Cavaliers pre-draft workouts usually go. Branham will also be joining in on Wednesday, along with Keon Ellis out of Alabama, who is expected to be a second-round pick.
According to the aforementioned Fedor’s report, there are other prospects projected to join them, and they will do some sort of 3-on-3 workout in front of the Cavaliers brass.
Koby Altman and the Cavaliers have been very thorough so far in their search for the perfect prospect to pick at #14. There will be others coming to Cleveland over the next few weeks, and days. However, Beauchamp and Branham have a chance to leave a lasting first impression on the Cavalier front office.
As of now, Beauchamp is a player the Cavs are reportedly considering with their late-lottery first, but that might be more of a longshot, as opposed to Branham, for example. Beauchamp seems to be a prospect that could be a ceiling play, though, so we’ll see.