In the months following an unsuccessful defense of their NBA championship, the Milwaukee Bucks were looking for youth to build around Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. The NBA Draft was an important step in that process as they selected MarJon Beauchamp with the 24th overall pick in the draft and the former five-star recruit had a chance to carve out a role with a contender.
However, Beauchamp’s time with the Bucks didn’t go as planned. In just over two seasons with the Bucks, Beauchamp couldn’t crack the rotation of either Mike Budenholzer or Doc Rivers and his time ended when he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the trade that sent Middleton to the Washington Wizards and Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee.
Now in a new spot, Beauchamp is on thin ice and looking to write a new chapter in Los Angeles.
MarJon Beauchamp Looks to Revive Career With Los Angeles Clippers
Beauchamp’s career has been a journey dating back to his time in high school. A five-star recruit out of Seattle, Beauchamp decided to forgo playing college basketball and later joined Yakima Valley Community College in his home state of Washington. After spending a season with the NBA G League Ignite, Beauchamp was selected by the Bucks and played 52 games while averaging 5.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 13.5 minutes.
But his playing decreased to 48 games and 12.7 minutes per game during the 2023-24 season and his time with the Bucks hit a low point this year. In 26 games, Beauchamp averaged just two points per game while shooting .383 from the floor and .333 on 3-pointers. He also didn’t see the court much with just 4.7 minutes per game.
At 24 years old, Beauchamp was in a change of scenery but Los Angeles may not be the place that gets the most out of him. Norman Powell is dealing with a knee injury but Kris Dunn, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Amir Coffey are all listed ahead of him in the pecking order for minutes.
The result has been Beauchamp taking his usual role on the end of the bench with just five minutes over his first two games. Maybe that’s predictable, but he also needs minutes to improve his game. With 21.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists in nine career G League games since entering the league, Beauchamp has shown potential but he’ll need to show it to stay in the NBA.