The Los Angeles Lakers weren’t at their best. If anything, it was one of the worst seasons that the franchise has had despite having LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook on the roster.
Keeping that in mind, it’s no surprise that the Lakers have made a lot of changes to their roster ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season. They have added many new pieces to the team, and one of the highlights of their offseason was trading for Patrick Beverley.
Pat Bev has made a name for himself in the NBA by being one of the most relentless defenders in the league. But when Beverley was traded to the Lakers, there was a concern about how he would adjust to sharing the locker room with Russell Westbrook.
It would be an underestimate to say that the two players have a history. Beverley and Russ have had a plethora of altercations over the years. But as per Beverley, after joining the Lakers, Russ has become his best friend.
Iman Shumpert Shows His Trust In Patrick Beverley And Russell Westbrook
NBA players getting into heated altercations and arguments is not a new thing. But when the situation requires them to play together, numerous players have put aside their differences and focus on playing basketball together.
Former NBA player Iman Shumpert explained this point by using the example of altercations between him and JR Smith while still managing to play together. Shumpert believes that Russ and Beverley can do the same.
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“If I can’t get into it with you on the court, we ain’t probably not gonna end up being the closest on the team. Like me and JR used to get into it all the time. Elbows, get physical, curse each other out, throw the ball at me whatever like but we didn’t like lose control where it was like now everybody needs to be worried. I feel like they probably get in practice Patrick Beverley and Russ could probably box and continue to practice. Everybody else probably be like whoa the energy crazy but they probably be regular with it because it’s just a competitor’s thing they don’t want to lose.”
As mentioned by Shumpert, the biggest glue which will hold Beverley and Westbrook together is the fact that they want to win an NBA Championship. With that goal in mind, the two players should be able to resolve their issues and do their best when they are on the floor.
