MarJon Beauchamp should be on the Minnesota Timberwolves’ radar at 19. His slashing, defense, energy, and scoring upside would be a perfect addition as a wing/forward on this roster. While those traits and his play excel on the court, nobody encapsulates the last few seasons of basketball as much as he does. Despite being a consensus top-50 high school prospect in his class and a future NBA player, he has dealt with his fair share of adversity.
Multiple roadblocks stood in his way. Beauchamp had to find a high school he enjoyed and work around a pandemic. He bounced from high school to high school, trying to get comfortable. He played for Brandon Roy as a freshman at Nathan Hale HS in Seattle, where he was teammates with Michael Porter Jr. and Jontay Porter. Then Beauchamp transferred to Garfield, Jaylen Nowell’s alma mater and a Seattle basketball powerhouse. He played at Ranier Beach, another big-time program with Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson among its alumni, during his junior year before finishing up at Dream City Christian, a nationally-ranked school in Arizona. That’s as much movement as a high schooler can have, showing how talented he was to be able to star at those top-tier area schools.
But it didn’t end there.
After bouncing around high schools, Beauchamp decided to take a completely alternative route. He joined a preparation training program for the NBA Draft, turning down offers from the likes of nearby Washington, and Arizona, and Florida St. Instead, he worked with Chameleon BX, a 12-month training program out of San Francisco, to try to get in the best shape possible while giving him NBA-level trainers to work with.
However, things didn’t go according to plan. The pandemic struck, and Beauchamp had to make another move back home. He ended up at Yakima Valley College, a local JUCO, and dominated, averaging 30.7 points a contest in 12 games. He garnered national attention. Washington offered him again, as did Texas Tech, Oregon, and LSU. But he decided against the Division I route again, this time due to the inconsistency with the NCAA and eligibility, and joined the G-League Ignite.
For the uninitiated, the NBA created the G-League Ignite as an alternative pathway, putting players in a more professional and competitive atmosphere to reach their NBA goals. After the first year of Ignite, Jalen Green was selected 3rd overall, Jonathan Kuminga 7th, and Isaiah Todd 31st, meaning they developed three of their four high school prospects to be drafted. Ignite is beginning to look more like a viable pathway to the NBA, with two of MarJon’s teammates, Jaden Hardy, and Dyson Daniels expecting to hear their names called this draft.
MarJon had a successful season in the G-League, averaging intriguing counting stats while showing off his defensive versatility and energy.
Facing fringe and NBA-caliber talent in the G-League, Beauchamp was able to average the second-most points per game on a .500 team. He showcased his incredible wingspan and athletic above-the-rim ability defensively by being able to guard multiple positions.
He has also shown flashes of ability to take someone off the dribble if the matchup gives him the advantage, but he primarily was an off-ball player for Ignite. He was still able to flash his strengths, though.
Beauchamp’s strongest traits are his ability to use his athleticism as a cutter and for defense. He offers a developing jump shot that is enough to consistently knock down the corner 3. Not to mention his work ethic and journey to this point. MarJon took an unconventional route and will still meet his goals, an intriguing story of resilience.
He has the potential to develop into his floor of a versatile backup quickly. Beauchamp has the athleticism and foot speed to keep up with wings and wingspan to compete with forwards while having upside on the offensive end to develop over time. Think Jaden McDaniels, who is another Seattle-area player. Giving him a similar development plan and being able to grow around the mentorship of Patrick Beverley alongside another versatile defender Jarred Vanderbilt would be an excellent fit for MarJon.
Beauchamp’s traits and strengths put him in a comfortable spot to have a floor of a role player off the bench with the upside to become more depending on his jumper and scoring ability. The Wolves have done well with their past two Pacific Northwest selections in Jaylen Nowell and Jaden McDaniels. While he has had an unconventional route, it is not something to hold against him. He can be an exponentially high upside pick for the Wolves at this point of the draft. So why not take the chance on Beauchamp?
