Summer HEAT: Michael Beasley

Want to know what your favorite HEAT players are up to during the off-season? In this edition, HEAT Insider catches up with HEAT forward Michael Beasley to discuss his rookie season, Blake Griffin, and his budding TV career.

HEAT Insider: Where are you spending your off-season?

Michael Beasley: “I’ll be spending most of it in Miami, but I’ll be back and forth to (my hometown of Washington,) D.C. The off-season’s been pretty productive so far. I’ve been working on my game, trying to improve every day.”

HI: How would you evaluate your rookie season?

MB: “As a team, we did pretty well. We did a lot better than people expected. You couldn’t have asked for a better season, especially from a group that was playing together for the first time. We had a bunch of new faces, and to click so early and so well was great. Individually, I can always do better.”

HI: In what regard?

MB: “I have high standards. I averaged 14 (points) and five (rebounds per game), but I don’t want to settle with that. I feel I can be so much better in years to come, and I’m going to work to get to that level.”

HI: What areas do you need to improve to take that next step?

MB: “I need to work on the mental part of the game. With offense and defense – your body’s not going to work if your mind doesn’t work.”

HI: What caught you most by surprise during your rookie season?

MB: “The mental part. I’ve always been the go-to guy, the first option. I had to learn how to adjust playing in a system where I’m not the first option and coming off the bench. It was definitely tough. With time, it gets better.”

HI: Do you feel you can eventually be that go-to guy?

MB: “Yes. I feel I can eventually be that guy. It’s going to take some time and hard work to get there.”

HI: Are there any areas of your game you’re working on this summer?

MB: “I’m working on the things a shooting guard or a small forward would work on. I do a lot of screen work, a lot of jump shots, and ball handling – a lot of stuff point guards do. I know I may never play the one or two, but I feel if I work on those skills, it will be harder to guard me. I do a lot of stuff that Chauncey Billups does. I think he’s the best point guard in the NBA, especially coming off screens. Why not try to emulate that? I feel like if I can add that to my game, I will be a tougher match-up.”

HI: Because you do play a lot of power forward, are you planning on putting on more weight?

MB: “I’m fine with my weight. I’m going to stay thin. I’m already undersized, so if I can’t move, I can’t play my game. I want to focus on being quicker at my position.”

HI: What do you think about Blake Griffin and the rest of this year’s draft class?

MB: “When we played Oklahoma in college, I think that was the best game in our conference. We won, of course, but Blake Griffin just put on a show. Wherever he goes in the draft, it’ll be fun to play against him again. There are a lot guys who I grew up playing against in this year’s draft. I’m excited for them.”

HI: What are your thoughts on the Finals?

MB: “Kobe Bryant is a beast! It’s tough to watch the Finals. I love the game so much that my competitiveness comes out. But we can’t not watch it. If basketball’s on, that’s what we’re going to watch because this is the game we love.”

HI: What was your favorite part of your rookie season?

MB: “All-Star break. It was star-studded, and there was so much to do there. People who you grew up watching – actors, actresses, athletes – you find out that they admire you, too. I met Will Ferrell last year and he told me I was doing well and to keep it up. It’s weird how they watch you just like you watch them.”