SAN FRANCISCO — An NBA two-way contract is like an internship, where a young player spends a year or more learning by watching what others do. It's the first step into a new world.
Reece Beekman, who signed a two-way contract with the Warriors on Wednesday, might have the talent to get his foot in both the door and the court.
Golden State Summer League coach Anthony Vereen didn't rule that out after Beekman's 105-66 win over the Miami Heat on Saturday in the California Classic at Chase Center.
“The sky's the limit with Reece,” Vereen said. “We'll see where it goes, but I really feel like there's an opportunity given his defensive presence and ability to provide a change of pace off the bench.”
Exaggeration? Maybe. Beekman scored 10 points, making 3 of 7 shots, including three 3-pointers, the second of which came 0.4 seconds before the halftime buzzer. He only had one assist, but he did record a couple of “hockey” assists while directing traffic.
But even in the relatively loose confines of the NBA Summer League, visual testing is consistent with Vereen's suggestion that it's conceivable that Beekman could see the court more often than veteran Cory Joseph did last season.
Beekman's defensive impact was clear in his summer league debut on Saturday. He's a two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He's a threat. But it's his command on the court that's noteworthy. He knows how to run an attack.
But something else caught Vereen's eye.
“Hearing about the ACC Defensive Player of the Year twice and then seeing it in person was a real eye-opener,” Vereen said, “I didn't realize how well he could push the ball and play at this speed.”
The 6-foot-2 point guard was a four-year starter at the University of Virginia, a school with a reputation for defense and discipline, defense and measured offense under head coach Tony Bennett. Beekman's role on offense was to organize, and he did it in a way that seemed straight out of the Chris Paul blueprint.
In Bennett's system, Beekman had few opportunities to showcase his athleticism, and the pace-and-space trends of the NBA are new for him, but he seemed comfortable with the transition.
“I've had a really good run this week in practice working on getting the ball up the court,” Beekman said. “I don't think the transition will be too difficult for me. I like playing at a faster pace and I think I'm more than capable of doing that.”
Beekman doesn't have the blazing quickness of, say, De'Aaron Fox, but the Heat struggled to keep up with him.
Beekman's moves in the first quarter revealed that he was more explosive than many realized coming out of college after being rated as having average quickness and explosiveness.
As he drove the ball up the court, Beekman sensed and exploited a gap in Miami's defense, gliding to the basket and lifting off the floor to softly dunk the ball with the smoothness and grace of a man who always does it.
“I think I'm pretty athletic,” Beekman said, “and sometimes I just don't show it or I don't have the opportunity, but when I'm in that position, I can do it, and having this new space is going to really help me get those abilities out there.”
All of his favorite point guards are people admired for their play and their impact: For Beekman, it's Kyrie Irving on offense and July Holiday on defense.
It's not delusional to believe that sometime next season, Beekman will get a chance to step on the court with some of the players he coached in college.
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