Patrick Beverley’s trade to the Los Angeles Lakers meant he is set to join the list of players who have featured for both the teams in LA. Beverley spent 4 seasons with the Clippers, where he established himself as one of the premier defensive guards in the NBA, and he will now look to bring that defensive edge to the Lakers.
Beverley played a part in establishing the Clippers as the dominant force on the court in LA, as they have been significantly better than the Lakers for much of the last decade. Despite all the success that the Clippers have had, LA still belongs to the Lakers, who also managed to win a title in 2020, something the Clippers have never accomplished.
Patrick Beverley Says There Is A Big Difference When Representing The Lakers As Opposed To The Clippers
Beverley recently had his first press conference as a member of the Lakers, and we got some epic soundbites out of it, as you might imagine. When asked about playing with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, he responded that they are playing with him, as he made the playoffs while they didn’t! He also spoke about how different it is to represent the Lakers as opposed to the Clippers.
Patrick Beverley on going from playing for the Clippers to the Lakers: “Very different. Night and day. Walking around the city, you almost get a different respect.”
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) September 6, 2022
There is little doubt that playing for the Lakers gets one more respect and glamour as well. It just means more to represent the purple and gold of the Lakers, and the Clippers, who have never won anything, can’t hope to compete on that front.
Winning a title or two might change that a little bit, and the Clippers do have the team on paper to go all the way. The problem, of course, is that they have had good teams on paper over the last decade but only have one Conference Finals appearance to show for it. Perhaps this iteration of the squad might finally break through and win it all, but that remains to be seen.
As far as the Lakers are concerned, they will be hoping that the changes they have made this offseason would be enough to help them bounce back from what was a disappointing 2021-22 season. The likes of Beverley do make them a better team, but the question is just how much better. It wouldn’t be too surprising to see more changes being made, especially with it being more likely than not, that Russell Westbrook will be traded before the start of the season.
