Evaluating MarJon Beauchamp in a Community College Basketball Game
August 25th, 2021
By Alan Lu
Recently, Seattle’s 6-6 swingman, MarJon Beauchamp was able to sign with the G-League Ignite, as it will allow him to showcase his skills in front of NBA scouts and teams in the NBA G-League. After starring in high school for Dream City Christian, Beauchamp had sat out of the 2020-21 season as he had chosen to train at Chameleon BX.
He was reported to have previously planned to enter the 2021 draft, but he opted not to do so, as his draft stock had not picked up the traction as he had hoped. Unlike his fellow Chameleon BX trainee Kyree Walker (who later went undrafted), Beauchamp made the decision to spend the next season to play basketball to prepare for the 2022 draft instead, and it seems that this move is paying off for Beauchamp right now. He also played with former NBA star point guard Isaiah Thomas in the Crawsover Pro-Am, in which Isaiah Thomas really put on a show by scoring 81 points in a single game.
After having seen Beauchamp play in a high school basketball game against now current Houston Rockets’ rookie guard Jalen Green and more than hold his own against him, I was intrigued to see how far he’s came along since then, and to see where his skills are at the moment. I decided to watch MarJon Beauchamp play in a May 6th game for Yakima Valley Community College against Spokane, with thanks to YouTube via YAKathletics. Here are my thoughts on how he fared, as well as how his game may stack up as a prospect for the NBA.
(Photo: Imagn Images, Parkview 17, via Fansided’s Beale Street Bears)
Yakima Valley’s 6-6 swingman, MarJon Beauchamp had a strong showing to help lead his team to a win over Spokane. He is a very skilled scorer that can do so in a lot of ways, and he showed off solid all-around skills in this game. He handled the ball fairly well, he was active on the glass, and he showed the potential to be a shutdown defender at times in this game.
Beauchamp showed a good ability to score off the dribble. He would score on strong, quick left-handed drives to the hoop, and he is a smooth, crafty scorer that would often finish plays in traffic, which would allow him to score and also get free throws. He also would throw his body into his opponents, and he would contort his body in a way that would allow him to draw many free throws to get to the foul line often. He also posted up once, and he used a drop step move to score on a powerful, up and under move to show his low post scoring skills.
He also showed a solid ability to knock down threes to provide floor spacing for his team on offense. Beauchamp was comfortable at dribbling back to make smooth, pull-up threes, and Beauchamp did a very good job at pulling up to score on threes off the dribble. He also would find ways to lean in to get fouled on three-pointers by jump shots, which would enable him to get a lot of free throws in this game. He didn’t take many spot-up threes off the catch, and he missed a quick, open corner three midway through this match.
In this game, Beauchamp was obviously more comfortable in taking threes off the dribble rather than off the catch. However, as he will have to transition to play in the G-League with other teammates that may be similarly, equally, or more talented than him, he will have to show that he can make stationary outside shots off the catch, because he might not be able to have the ball in his hands nearly as much at higher levels. He also showed off a decent ability to knock down mid-range shots. Beauchamp ran off of a ball screen to get it, and he dribbled to his left to smoothly make a pull-up jumper from the mid-range. Another time though, he missed on a quick, open turnaround mid-range jumper.
Also, Beauchamp generally excelled at scoring on hustle plays. He ran off the ball and was able to get it on the break, and he managed to score on a smooth layup on a right-handed drive in transition. He also managed to throw down a powerful, two-handed dunk to score on a backdoor cut. He nearly scored on a thunderous dunk on a fast break another time, except his teammate had been called for a charging foul shortly after passing the basketball to him. Beauchamp was assertive in taking the ball to the basket, and he could really excel as a scorer on fast breaks in the G-League for the upcoming season due to his solid blend of athleticism, scoring ability, and aggressiveness.
He also displayed adequate playmaking skills in this game. Beauchamp is a quick, agile swingman that likes to handle the basketball, and he can operate as a tall ball-handler on the court. He was able to dribble from the high post to find a cutter to set up a score for his teammate early on due to making a good read and pass that time. Beauchamp also showed the knack for pushing the ball up the court off of steals and defensive rebounds to get the ball to shooters in transition. He can make drive and kick plays to find the open man, and he also patiently passed out of a double team when blitzed to a teammate once. He did commit a couple of turnovers, though. He would sometimes throw hasty, inaccurate passes, as one got intercepted, and he led another teammate too far that ended up going out of bounds. On one play late in this game, he dropped a catchable pass that also ended up going out of bounds.
He also showed a decent ability to rebound the basketball. Beauchamp was able to chase down balls to get boards on both ends of the floor, and sometimes he would quickly bring the ball up and push the pace afterwards. He was able to tip a ball to a teammate to help his teammate get a defensive board once. However, sometimes he would allow opponents to get offensive rebounds in his area, as he seemed to be a bit fatigued late in this match. He also committed an over the back foul on an aggressive offensive rebound attempt early on as well.
Plus, Beauchamp played satisfactory defense in this match. He defended well especially early on, and he is an athletic, rangy defender that can cover plenty of ground. He rotated to block a shot in the post off the glass to himself due to possessing very good athleticism, timing, and instincts. He also sprinted back far to intercept a long outlet pass to get a steal another time. He also was able to pounce upon a loose ball to help his team get another steal, and he would use his long arms to deflect passes and poke balls away to make things difficult for his opponents. He would actively contest shots inside the arc to force misses, and he is a quick guard that can apply heavy ball pressure that allows him to stay in front of opposing ball handlers, and he was also able to force a tough pass that led the other team to commit an over and back violation.
While he can make some really nice plays on the defensive end mostly due to his roaming style, his aggressive help defensive style would sometimes make him vulnerable to allowing jump shots to shooters and on post-ups. Often times, he would be caught ball watching and over-help off of his man, and he would be late to rotate back, which would lead him to give up open jumpers, and sometimes would lead him to allow scores. Other times, he would be too aggressive on the close out, and he would get beat off the dribble every once in a while. He also struggled a bit to defend in the post. Sometimes he would not make a play on the ball or get his hands up as balls would go over his head when fronting his man down low. Another time, he jumped up too early when defending in the post, which led him to commit a foul to allow a score and an extra free throw.
Overall, MarJon Beauchamp is a very athletic swingman that could be one of the most underrated prospects in the 2022 draft. He’s a very skilled scorer with the ball in his hands, and he has the potential to be a good defender at the NBA level. He’ll likely need to show that he can play off the ball and prove that he can play a complementary role on offense, but his athleticism and versatility makes him an intriguing prospect for the NBA. Currently, he is a second round prospect, but a strong season in the NBA G-League could have him sneak into the first round, as he could end up being a solid role player similar to Denver Nuggets’ swingman, Will Barton in the NBA.
Other Notes:
(Photo: Alex Owen / IG: @itsao_, via The Seattle Times)
After hearing the news that Isaiah Thomas scored 81 points at the Crawsover Pro-Am on August 8th, it’s clear that an NBA team should sign him to bring him back to the league. He put on a legendary performance at the Crawsover Pro-Am, and Thomas has proven that he should be in the NBA for the 2021-22 season. Isaiah Thomas is a two-time NBA All-Star that once averaged 28.9 points per game for the Boston Celtics during the 2016-17 NBA season, and he’s also scored 53 points in a 2017 NBA playoff game.
He’s not far removed from the 2019-20 NBA season, where he averaged 12.2 points per game, and made a season-best 41.3% of his three-pointers for the Washington Wizards. Thomas could offer teams a quick, speedy scorer that can really generate offense, and it could prove to be a sound, cost-effective move that an NBA team can make if they decide to sign him for their team.
Elsewhere, on August 14th, Boston Celtics’ point guard, Payton Pritchard scored 92 points in a Portland Pro-Am game. He also had a very good 2021 Las Vegas NBA Summer League showing following having a good rookie season, as he led them to a 4-1 record and they were able to get to the Summer League Championship game. With all this factoring in, it seems that Pritchard may be due for having a very good second season in the NBA this year.
