The NBA’s pre-draft measurements are in and as usual people shrunk when transitioning from college hoops to the pros.
Brook Lopez is a 7-footer in shoes, but Kevin Love, D.J. Augustin, and Michael Beasley ended up being shorter than advertised. That doesn’t bother Beasley at all.
Listed at 6-foot-10 at K-State, 6-9 last summer with Team USA, and more likely probably no more than 6-8, Beasley said that he hoped to be listed as 6-3, adding, “… and I want to bench press like just half a pound.”
He added, “I thought I was 6-9. I heard 6-7. In college I was 6-10. I might have grown an inch, maybe,” Beasley said. “I didn’t know there was a height requirement for the NBA. No matter if I’m 5 feet or 8-1, I’m the same player.”
“I’m good,” Beasley said. “What do I’ve got to be nervous about?”
The official report on Beasley says “he measured at 6-7 without shoes, and 6-8 ¼ with. His wingspan is 7-0 ¼ and his standing reach is 8-11. He did fairly well in the combine, lifting the 185 bar 19 times, jumping 35 inches on the max vert, but measuring a slightly high body fat at 7.7%.”
He’s only 19 so he could grow a little more, but I’m not worried about his height. His maturity level is questionable and there are reports of him clowning around during the Orlando workouts. Seems like a bad sign to me if guy can’t be serious with big money on the line.
Michael being Michael at NBA pre-draft camp. Courtesy of The Manhattan Mercury
