Michael Bethea Jr – 2018-19 G-League Player Profile

June 20th, 2019

Michael Bethea Jr

SG/SF – 6’6, 185lbs – Born 22nd January 1995

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Bethea’s circuitous route to the pros included a year at Grambling State, who had gone winless over Division 1 competition in two of the three previous seasons. On a team needing any help it can get, Bethea – a junior by this time – scored only 5.3 points per game on 29.9% from the field and 25.6% from three-point range. He then moved again, this time dropping to Division 2 Chico State; it did not lead to any offensive uptick, however, as Bethea averaged only 6.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game as a senior.

So, how does one go from that to being a double-digit scorer in the NBA’s official minor league? Not sure. I guess he just got better, fast.

Bethea has a good frame, standing 6’6 with a good wingspan, and it would appear as though he simply got better as a shooter. It is not the quickest release, yet Bethea is nowadays a confident-enough shooter to take looks both pull-ups off the dribble and feet-set shots off the catch. He creates and handles little, and has to continue to get stronger in order to expand his driving game (strength which would also help on defence), yet it seems as though Bethea has become a plenty solid-enough G-League replacement-level player.

The local tryout route, then, strikes again.

– 20th June, 2019

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