ESPN NBA Draft analyst Jonathan Givony has Virginia guard Reece Beekman projecting as a late first-round draft pick next summer.
Beekman’s stock has no doubt risen with his outputs in wins over Baylor, Illinois and Michigan in the past two weeks.
In the 86-79 win over Baylor in Vegas on Nov. 18, Beekman had a double-double – 10 points and 10 assists – in 34 minutes, and he followed that up with 17 points and three assists in the 70-61 win over Illinois on Nov. 20.
Tuesday night in the 70-68 win at Michigan, Beekman had 18 points, on 7-of-10 shooting, and five assists.
It’s a small sample size, but 15 points and six assists per game against top competition – Givony listed Baylor’s Keyonte George, Illinois’ Coleman Hawkins and Terrance Shannon Jr. and Michigan’s Jett Howard as 2028 first-rounders – will get your attention.
What’s standing out this season for Beekman is his improved three-point shooting (57.1 percent), his ability to get to the rim (he was 4-of-6 at the rim vs. Illinois, 5-of-6 at the rim vs. Michigan) and his elite defense.
Givony notes also that Beekman’s 7.5 assists per 40 minutes pace-adjusted ranks second among the college prospects in ESPN’s Top 100.
“Even if Beekman’s offensive arsenal has some questions, the way he defends gives him a very high floor and should allow him to carve out a niche early in his NBA career,” Givony wrote.
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Chris Graham
