One of the more experienced players in this year’s draft class is Virginia’s Reece Beekman. While not a super senior like some, the point guard played in and started all but 5 games in his four years in Charlottesville, and all of those were in his freshman year. 126 games with 121 starts for one of the best coaches in the country is a lot of valuable experience that some NBA teams will find attractive in the draft.
Reece Beekman 2024 NBA Draft Profile
College Career
Reece Beekman improved every year that he was in college. As a senior this past season he averaged 14.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. He earned All-ACC honors twice and ACC All-Defence honors three times. He was awarded the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award twice. Beekman led the ACC in steal percentage twice and was top 3 in the conference in steals per game each of the last three seasons, including being number on once. Offensively he did wonders with creating opportunities for his teammates. Beekman led the ACC in assists per game twice. This year he led not just the ACC but the entire NCAA in assist percentage.
He did all of this while being a key contributor on multiple NCAA Tournament teams, two of which earned top 4 seeds.
Strengths
Perhaps the best thing about Reece Bekman is that he is a balanced player. He can and does a lot for you on both ends of the floor. He is excellent defensively, as shown by his being a two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year. On D he is relentless at the point of attack. Beekman was one of the best players in the country, let alone one of the best guards, at forcing turnovers. His abilities as a primarily pass-first point guard shined through too. He had another sparkling assist-to-turnover ratio this season. When you look at more advanced stats, Beekman was in the 96th percentile when factoring in both possessions and assists. He also commits very few fouls, averaging just 1.4 per game this season.
Combine all of this with his high basketball IQ and great decision making and Beekman is an attractive prospect to NBA teams looking for a type of role player like him, and he could potentially develop into a starter down the line.
Weaknesses
The Biggest weakness in Reece Beekman’s game is his three-point shooting. He shot just 31% from beyond the arc this year, and for a time was under 30%. That does not project well to the NBA, especially in today’s day and age. Since he is 22 years old, some will see his age as a weakness, though I don’t necessarily. He is also not the flashiest or most exciting prospect, but he gets his job done well.
More of a disadvantage than a weakness is Beekman’s combine performance. According to Kyle Boone of CBS Sports Beekman, along with multiple other upperclassmen such as Trey Alexander and Payton Sandfort, failed to impress during the NBA Draft combine last month in Chicago. As we all know the combine is not a be-all-end-all. Some highly-touted prospects didn’t do well there either. But it is at least something worth keeping an eye on.
NBA Comparison
Jevon Carter and T.J. McConnell are two good comparisons for Reece Beekman right now. While he’s not as good at scoring/shooting as Derrick White is, that is the kind of player he could develop into later on.
2024 NBA Draft Projection
Reece Beekman is projected to be selected in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft.
