Virginia guard Reece Beekman participated in the NBA Draft Combine this week in Chicago and flashed some of the traits that make him an interesting prospect for pro teams. Beekman has until May 31 to decide whether to remain in the June 22 draft or not.
If Beekman elects to stay in the pool, scouts got a another look at some of his skills and measurements to evaluate.
Beekman checked in at 6’1.5” (barefoot) and 190.6 pounds. He had a 6’7” wing span and 8.5” by 8.25” measurements for hand length/width. He had a standing reach of 8’4.5” and a max vertical reach of 11’9.5”. He had a standing vertical of 30.5” inches and a max vertical leap of 38.0”. In timing drills, he clocked the 3/4 court sprint in 3.14 (tied for 3rd among players tested), the shuttle in 3.33, and the lane agility in 10.99.
Among some of the posted shooting stats from drills, Beekman made 48.0% from the college corner left, 73.3% off the dribble from the college break left, and 60.0% on the move college shots. In a mid-range shooting ‘side-middle-side’ drill, he made 56.7% of his shots as well.
As he had shown while at UVA, Beekman is an elite defender with high level instincts on that end of the floor and he he can make plays on offense cleanly and consistently as well. Through two scrimmages in Chicago, he had posted 23 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists, and 4 steals. He made 8 of 19 shots in the two games, including 6 of 11 in the second scrimmage. That included 2 of 3 3-pointers combined in the two games.
Beekman posted stats of 8.2 points, 5.2 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.1 steals as a sophomore at Virginia while shooting 33.8% from 3-point range. He followed that up with averages of 9.5 points, 5.3 assists, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.8 steals as a junior while shooting 35.1% from 3-point range.
Ultimately, Beekman projects as a potential ‘defend and distribute’ type of guard that could be a solid reserve player or a worthy developmental prospect with 2-way contracts or a G League contract. NBA players at a similar size between 6’0” and 6’3” include Jose Alvarado (New Orleans), Kris Dunn (Utah), Cameron Payne (Phoenix), and Tre Mann (Oklahoma City) that could be used for comparisons.
A few observations about Beekman at the Combine popped up on Twitter.
I spoke with Reece Beekman off the camera as well. Super nice guy. Been a huge fan of him as a UVA hoops fan but I think his transition to the NBA is easy as pace is beneficial for him and Bennett’s system helped refine his half court game. pic.twitter.com/uyrMSVzkxu
— Leif Thulin (@LeifThulin) May 17, 2023
Reece Beekman – Guard, Virginia
Nightmare matchup for guards. Slightly undersized but a 6’7″ wingspan, with wicked instincts. Scored the ball well, was good on offense.
Borderline draft pick but likely to get selected. Lot of reason to not return to school pic.twitter.com/kKjIwqwJWa
— Ryan Hammer (@ryanhammer09) May 19, 2023
Scrimmage #4 from the combine in the books
Top performers:
-Reece Beekman (better on O today, defense was really impactful)
-Adam Flagler (liked his pace, effort, and facilitating)
-Isaiah Wong (Shot didn’t fall, was good everywhere else on O)
-Emoni Bates (solid effort & tools)— The Box and One (@TheBoxAndOne_) May 19, 2023
Biggest winners at the NBA Draft Combine today:
– Ben Sheppard (Belmont)
– Amari Bailey (UCLA)
– Seth Lundy (Penn State)
– Terquavion Smith (NC State)
– Jordan Walsh (Arkansas)
– PJ Hall (Clemson)
– Oscar Tshiebwe (Kentucky)
– Reece Beekman (Virginia)
– Kendrick Davis (Memphis)— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) May 19, 2023
Please Come Back
His intangible are off the chart- have rarely seen a “cooler customer” than Reece. Cannot ever recall him showing visible frustration towards a coach, teammate, opponent or referee during his UVA.
Reece Beekman has performed well at the combine. His measurables, cool demeanor and overall skill at both ends will be rewarded either way. If he stays in the draft process, possible late 1st rounder. If he returns to UVA , he will have a big season and likely land a 1st rd pick next yr.