Reese Beekman is only a third of the way through his rookie season and has already been traded.
But the young point guard was also presented with a golden opportunity as Brooklyn rebuilds away from rival Golden State.
“Yeah, it was a crazy, crazy thing. It's my rookie year and it's not even half the season and you get traded, it's kind of crazy.”Dennis Schroder returned to the Nets in the deal. Beekman said. “But that's life in the league. So you have to be able to adjust quickly. We're just blessed with this opportunity. It's a new situation, but we have to get used to it and be ready.
“I'm just going to do whatever the team needs. I'm coming in with a hard work mentality and trying to do what's best for the team and put ourselves in a better position. I know he's there, he's a leader and he's a point guard, so I want you to try to help him with that.”
Schroder's absence is an understatement, as the Nets were soundly defeated by Cleveland, 130-101, on Monday.
Ben Simmons is the only pure point guard left, with backups Shake Milton and Keon Johnson at the off guard.
The Nets added Killian Hayes in the offseason, waived him and re-signed him to the G League's Long Island, where he struggled.
Beekman, who went undrafted but signed a two-way contract with Golden State, averaged 18.7 points, shot 51.5 percent, 7.3 assists (9th in the G League), 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 steals (3rd in the league) for Santa Cruz. Recorded.
The defensive-minded guard has played just four minutes in the NBA with two brief cameos.
But he'll get every chance to crack the rotation in Brooklyn.
“Yes, it's a great opportunity for me,” Beekman said. “The G League is a little different than the NBA just in terms of the players and the level of competition. So I think it meant a lot to me to be able to develop in my first year. I'm a big player in college, just playing reps. I've seen him improve over the years, so I think getting this opportunity early in his career will help him longer in the future.”
