We knew the big story for 3’s Company this season was going to be Michael Beasley. 2022 was the former #2 overall draft pick’s first season with the BIG3, and excitement was understandably high for the ultra-talented rookie. Throughout his career, Beasley has shown the ability to score from absolutely anywhere on the floor in almost any manner he chooses, and he often makes it look effortless. He is the definition of a walking bucket, and everyone was eager to see if he’d light up the BIG3.
With Brandon Rush joining Beasley as a Co-Captain and former NCAA and NBA Champion point guard Mario Chalmers at the Captain spot, everything was set for Michael Cooper’s squad to have a big year.
It didn’t take long for Beasley to prove that the hype surrounding his arrival was warranted. In the first half of 3’s Company’s win against Bivouac, Beasley scored 21 of the team’s 24 points, and needed just seven shots to do it. He scored in the paint, from midrange, hit a three, and drained two four-point shots for good measure. Right out of the gates, Beasley was able to show what makes him such a special talent. Beasley only had five points in the second half, but 3’s Company were able to start their year off with a 50-47 win over Gerald Green and a very game Bivouac squad.
In Week 2, both Beasley and 3’s Company struggled. Beasley scored 11 points on 3-10 shooting from the field, and the team found itself on the wrong end of a 51-35 defeat at the hands of Tri-State.
Beasley got his touch back in Week 3, scoring 26 points. Unfortunately, he was outdueled by 2022 BIG3 MVP Kevin Murphy, who dropped 30 points over the course of a 51-48 victory for The 3 Headed Monsters.
Week 4 was another brutal outing for Beasley and the team. Beasley finished with 10 points on 3-18 shooting from the field, and Power came away with a 51-33 win.
Easy breezy Beasley @Michael8easley | @Big33scompany pic.twitter.com/35i7tkOM54
— BIG3 (@thebig3) July 24, 2022
Week 5 was huge for 3’s Company. Instead of playing Beasley-ball, they went with a more balanced approach. The results were instant. 3’s Company outscored the Ghost Ballers 25-9 in the first half of their game, and were able to win the game by a final score of 50-34. Beasley “only” had 14 points, but Mario Chalmers and Julian Wright scored 18 points apiece and combined to shoot 16-21 from the floor.
Beasley had a total of three assists in the first four games of the season, with all of them coming in Week 4. In the game against the Ghost Ballers, he had six assists. In the course of a week, 3’s Company seemed to have transformed into a completely different team.
3’s Company kept sharing the ball in their Week 6 game against the Ball Hogs, and they came away with another win. They outscored Rick Barry’s team 25-6 in the first half, and although they let their foot off the gas pedal in a major way after halftime, they were still able to come away with a 50-47 win. Beasley’s passing was again the story, as he finished with eight assists.
3’s Company also showed off a new wrinkle in Week 6. On two separate occasions, Mario Chalmers went to the four-point circle easy in the clock as part of a scripted play, and he drained the shot both times. If this is something Chalmers, Beasley, and the rest of 3’s Company stick with, they’ll stretch defenses well past their breaking points.
The 2022 season came to an end for 3’s Company in Week 7 after a hard-fought 50-48 loss to the Killer 3s. Beasley went back to being more of a scorer, dropping in a game-high 25 points.
There are a lot of reasons to be optimistic about 3’s Company, mainly because they played their best basketball over the last few games of the season. If Chalmers can keep being a steady leader and Beasley can find the right balance between scoring and playmaking, this will be a scary team.