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9-Year NBA Veteran Made History for Detroit Pistons vs Jazz

Malik Beasley made Pistons history against the Jazz.
Justin Grasso|
Dec 19, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley (5) is defended by Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Dec 19, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley (5) is defended by Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) in the first half at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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Detroit PistonsUtah Jazz

There wasn’t much for the Detroit Pistons to celebrate on Thursday night. Despite coming off of a thrilling overtime win over the Miami Heat, the Pistons quickly found themselves in a deep hole against a rebuilding Utah Jazz team.

On the bright side, one of the Pistons’ newer additions continued thriving and even made franchise history as Detroit attempted an improbable comeback after trailing by 29 points.

Against the Jazz, Beasley came off the bench for 34 minutes. During that time, he launched 19 shots from beyond the arc. He knocked down 37 percent of his threes throughout the game and produced 26 points total.

As Beasley continued turning up the three-point volume, he became the fastest player in Pistons history to make 100 threes in a season by doing it in less than 30 games.

Over the summer, the Pistons added Beasley after he spent a season with the Milwaukee Bucks. The 28-year-old signed a one-year deal to join the team.

With 28 games in the bag for Beasley, it’s safe to say he’s been a home run acquisition.

The Pistons’ plan throughout the summer was to acquire high-volume three-point shooters to surround Cade Cunningham. Beasley was a 39 percent shooter from three throughout his career and recently averaged 41 percent with the Bucks in 79 games.

So far, Beasley has lived up to the expectations. As he’s taking threes at a career-high rate, Beasley is shooting at a 41 percent clip from deep. He is averaging 16 points per game.

The veteran’s future in Detroit is not clear at the moment. While he quickly established himself as one of Detroit’s best scorers this season and entered fan-favorite status, Beasley could end up becoming a top target for championship-caliber teams ahead of the February deadline. If not then, he’ll certainly be a major target in free agency next summer.

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Justin Grasso was a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s 76ers On SI Network. Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writers Association. Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoMedia

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