Damian Lillard praised new Bucks teammate Marjon Beauchamp: 'That's my kind of young player'

The Milwaukee Bucks are one of the favorites to win the 2024 NBA Championship but they will need all the help they can get.

Although some oddsmakers believe that Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo are potentially the best 1-2 punch in the league, Milwaukee will have its best chance of winning a title if their depth plays well down the stretch.

One of the players who could potentially help make a difference is Marjon Beauchamp. The former first-round pick for the Bucks from the G Leauge Ignite has already made a strong impression on Lillard.

The seven-time All-Star shared his thoughts about his new teammate:

“He’s a big guard … Tall, long, athletic, he can score the ball, he’s competitive. It just kind of jumped out to me. When I watch young players, I always try to put myself in the space of a scout and he’s a player that, if I was scouting a player, I would draft him. I would pick him just off of what I’ve seen the past couple days. His energy, off the court versus on the court, that’s my kind of young player.”

Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton also spoke glowingly about Beauchamp:

“He knows he has a great opportunity in front of him and it’s not going to be given to him. He’s going to have to work for it and he’s showing that. He’s proving that with the work that he put in over the summertime and the confidence that he’s gotten over the two years in this league … We expect big things from him. We’re going to need him … He’s a guy that not a lot of people know but they should know him because he’s all the potential and all the talent in the world.”

Based on his recent usage, we can potentially predict a potentially increased role on the court for Milwaukee next season.

When including passes, per Synergy, Beauchamp finished 27.5 percent of his possessions as the ball handler in pick-and-roll sets or in isolation last season. That rate went up to 46.1 percent during the NBA 2K24 Summer League.

Per our research, that percentage increase ranked as the fourth-most among all players (minimum: 200 possessions finished last season) who participated during summer league action.

As the 22-year-old wing continues to develop, perhaps it’s worth it for the Bucks to consider using Beauchamp in the starting lineup when the season begins.