Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
There was once a time where Rodrigue Beaubois was considered untouchable by the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas stopped trade discussions with Denver Nuggets when they asked that Beaubois be the main piece of a Carmelo Anthony trade. Over a month into free agency he is unsigned and barely being considered. With two point guards on the roster and LeBron James and Dwyane Wade doing the bulk of the ball handling, would it make sense for the Miami Heat to give him a chance?
He is a 6-foot-2 and 182-pound lightning quick point guard that can put the ball in the basket. He is a great at penetrating and getting to the basket, but he doesn’t see the court well enough to make plays for his teammates. His shot is very inconsistent, but he attacks the offensive and defensive boards. He is a very athletic defender and is very active, but his footwork and fundamentals need work.
If this scouting report sounds familiar to Heat fans it’s because it is very similar to the game of Norris Cole (the current backup point guard). While Beaubois could develop into a very good backup in the Miami Heat system the way that Cole did, it wouldn’t make sense to give him a roster spot. You want Norris Cole to continue to develop his game and not worry about losing time to Beaubois if he has a few off games.
With the impending free agency of Mario Chalmers, the Heat would be better off getting a point guard who can hit the outside jump shot to complement the skills Cole has. Mo Williams recently signed with the Portland Trail Blazers, but he would have been a guy who could play the Rashard Lewis role this year and maybe step in next year as the backup to Cole. Another possibility would be bringing back Mike James who Pat Riley brought into the league and developed into a very good NBA player.
