Since 2021, Beasley has attempted 8 3-pointers per game, converting at a 39 percent clip. That's more than solid. He's a proven leave me and you'll regret it shooter. His shot quality proves that teams aren't leaving him open. But it doesn't matter. He's always been Jr. Smith-level confident, and the opportunity has been there in Detroit.
Beasley's league-leading 259 deep balls have correlated with the Pistons' success. The signs of stardom were evident with Cunningham if you watched the second half of last year's season. Detroit lost a bunch, but it was clear Cunningham didn't have adequate spacing around him. Teams blitzed and sold out to smother the third-year guard.

That's still a likely game plan for Cunningham, but Beasley has made teams pay if they double off him. That pair's chemistry is blossoming in Beasley's first season in the 313. The duo is plus-4.5 in over 1000 minutes together.
Leave Cade, and Beasley will bury you with foot-in-cement treys. He's steady as a stationary sniper. Beasley's 196 made catch-and-shoot 3s are 49 more than second-place Derrick White's. White only leads third place Klay Thompson by one 3-pointer, so Beasley is a clear outlier. Elite shooting is all about versatility, and Beasley can burn you on the move, too.

DET: Isaiah Stewart is a top-20 defender in the NBA
Aaron Kellerstrass, Piston Powered

The idea that the Pistons suddenly became an elite shooting team with tons of floor-spacing shooters is overblown, which makes what Cade Cunningham is doing even more impressive.

DET: The narrative doesn't do Cade Cunningham justice
Aaron Kellerstrass, Piston Powered

GSW: Kuminga is back, and the rest of the Warriors’ season will be defined by his play.
Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News

GSW: On track to return, Jonathan Kuminga rejoining different Warriors group
Danny Emerman, Mercury News

GSW: PODCAST: Previewing tonight’s Kings-Dubs game with Monte Poole
Ray LeBov/Nick Agar-Johnson, Kings Weekly Podcast

HOU: Alperen Şengün threw NBA’s best assist, and Nikola Jokic’s fingerprints are all over it
Ricky O’Donnell, SBNation

Şengün has obviously watched a lot of Nikola Jokic growing up. You can see Jokic’s fingerprints all over Şengün’s game, and it especially shows up in his confidence passing the ball. As the Rockets faced the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night, Şengün threw one of the best passes of the season, looking like something straight out of the Jokic playbook with a little extra flair for the dramatic.

MIA: Kel’el Ware ‘rolling with the punches’ of rookie season: ‘I want to get better’
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald

MIA: Heat’s losing skid reaches five after 15-point home loss to Clippers
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald

MIN: Surging Timberwolves have rediscovered the edge that carried them last season
Jon Krawczynski, The Athletic

MIN: Wolves roll confidently into Denver, leave with a six-game winning streak
Chris Hine, Star Tribune

MIN: Wolves trounce Denver … again: Five takeaways from yet another win over the Nuggets
Jace Frederck, Pioneer Press

NYK: Mikal Bridges, Tom Thibodeau get their jobs done after minutes disagreement
James Edwards III, The Athletic

OKC: The Pure Imagination of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Tyler Parker, The Ringer

The rise of Shai—from promising youngster to the best guard in the league—is a story of precise science and boundless creativity. It’s meticulous training during Oklahoma City’s lean years birthing a scorer whose movement patterns fold space and warp time. Dr. Strangest.

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