Malik Beasley is no scaredy KAT.
Pistons guard Malik Beasley expressed no concern about facing former teammate and current Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns ahead of Saturday’s Game 1 of their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series at Madison Square Garden.
“I’m not worried about KAT,” Beasley said. “I don’t worry about KAT. I’m not even thinking about him.”
He latter added: “He’s the least of my worries.”
The Pistons are heavy underdogs entering this matchup against the Knicks while they aim to win their first postseason series since 2008.
Beasley’s comments, though, along with his recent piece in the The Players’ Tribune, show the upstart team is taking the “Detroit vs. Everybody” mentality.
For the Pistons to have a shot of pulling the upset, the No. 6 seed will have to slow down Towns after he feasted against them in the regular season.
Towns averaged 24 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and 0.5 blocks per game across three contests.
In Detroit’s 115-106 win over the Knicks on April 10, Towns tallied 25 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
Beasley, who signed with the Pistons in the offseason, said his remarks with a smile, so it’s certainly possible he’s just being playful before facing a past teammate or there could be bad blood.
The two played alongside one another in Minnesota for three seasons spanning 2019-22.
The 28-year-old Beasley has enjoyed a career renaissance in The Motor City, averaging 16.3 points per game, the third-most of his career and his highest mark since the 2020-21 season with Minnesota.
He averaged 15.8 points and shot 55.6 percent from deep in four games against the Knicks this season, although he had quiet 10-point performance in the final regular-season showdown.
If the Knicks can slow down Beasley, it will place an even heavier burden on superstar Cade Cunningham to carry the load against a stronger Knicks lineup.
Beasley believes teams are weary of these feisty Pistons now that they’ve emerged as a threat.
“I don’t see (teams) testing us,” Beasley said when asked if teams are testing the Pistons more as their reputation has grown, “I think they’re scared.”