Brooklyn acquired a pair of point guards in the Dennis Schröder deal, the first being De’Anthony Melton, who in all likelihood, will never suit up for the team given the season-ending ACL tear he suffered with the Golden State Warriors, and of course his expiring contract.
It appears the other, two-way rookie Reece Beekman, will have a chance to carve out a role with the rebuilding Nets at some point this season. The 23-year-old is a defensive-minded floor general, which makes him the type of player who could thrive under head coach Jordi Fernandez.
“Excited to have him,” Fernandez said. “Defensive minded player; I think he led his conference in steals. A point guard that will help our ball pressure, our activity on defense, playmaking, running the team. So, excited to have him. I think he’ll get here soon, so we’ll get to work with him soon.”
Beekman, formerly a four-year letterman at Virginia, averaged 18.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 7.3 assists and 2.8 steals while shooting 51.5% from the field in nine appearances for Warriors G League affiliate Santa Cruz. He finished his college career as the Cavaliers’ all-time leader in steals with 228 and was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year twice.
“I think defense is all a mindset thing,” Beekman said. “You have to want to play defense. Obviously, going to Virginia instilled that mindset in me. I worked so hard for four years, it kind of just translated over time. But, you know, just my mindset of that can win games for us and that did. So, I just want that to translate to the Nets, maybe. Just to bring that defensive mindset.”
General manager Sean Marks said the team had been studying Beekman’s game for a while. And it seems like they did not bring him to Brooklyn to ride the bench.
“The group here has been focused on him and bringing him in and taking a good close up look at him,” Marks said. “So, I think from a defensive standpoint, we’re going to miss some of the things with Dennis leaving and hopefully when Reece comes in here, he can pick up the slack and he’ll have every opportunity like the rest of these guys to go out there and compete, earn minutes and be a part of this rotation hopefully.”
Speaking to reporters at halftime on Monday, Beekman said he has embraced the idea of contributing on a rebuilding team. Right now, he has only G League experience, having appeared in just two regular-season games for the Warriors. Being able to get on the floor and play meaningful minutes for Brooklyn would obviously aid his all-around development — something he did not get the chance to do often with Golden State.
“It’s been a crazy turn of events, just for this to be my rookie year, not even halfway through the season to get traded,” Beekman said. “It’s a little crazy, but that’s life in the league. So, I just have to be able to adjust fast. Just blessed to have this opportunity, new situation, but just have to get settled in and be ready to hoop.”
Beekman played against Cam Thomas in high school and took an official visit to Virginia with Keon Johnson, who ultimately wound up at Tennessee. Long Island Nets forward Jordan Minor was Beekman’s teammate at Virginia.
