On paper, NBA veteran Patrick Beverley is exactly the type of player every team should want. He’s a hard worker, a team-first contributor, and a guy who is capable of igniting his teammates both on the court and in the locker room.
But is Patrick Beverley really a good fit for the Lakers? Even as the team does their best to send off positive vibes, here are those who have their doubts that a Westbrook/Beverley reunion can actually work.
“I just don’t believe that the Lakers think this is gonna work. They’re saying that and trying to make the best out of this because they know they don’t have any Russell Westbrook trade that makes sense for them right now. So they’re gonna try to make it work. Let’s be honest: we live in an NBA era where you have to have shooting. When the Lakers won their title a couple of years ago, it was with shooting. All of LeBron’s great teams in his career had shooting. You have Russell Westbrook, one of the worst three-point shooters in the NBA, and Patric Beverley who is coming off his worst three-point shooting season of his career. I guess I can’t rule anything out, but this duo doesn’t make any sense on a basketball level. I appreciate that they’re being nice to each other, so points for that.”
.@WindhorstESPN is not sold on the Russ and Pat Bev tandem in LA.
"This duo doesn't make any sense on a basketball level." pic.twitter.com/EaXprgnECR
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 7, 2022
As Lakers fans are celebrating the arrival of Beverley, Windy is still questioning how much of an impact he’ll actually make, and he’s not the only one.
On the ‘Road Trippin’ podcast, Channing Frye had this to say about the backcourt pairing:
“I don’t like the makeup of this team. I don’t like it. I think it’s gross. I really think it’s gross, the makeup of the team. That’s like somebody handing you a burger and like half ketchup on it. I’m not talking about all those players. I like Patrick Beverley. I think he’s f*****g so entertaining and makes my job the best. Bron is Bron. AD is special – haven’t seen AD play in a long time. Russ last year is a dynamic, one of the most athletic, best guards that has ever played the game. He was boo boo last year. He was available, but he wasn’t his right self.”
On paper, the Lakers might not seem too bad. They have guys like Beverley, Reves, and Westbrook off the bench and LeBron James and Anthony Davis leading the way.
But we have seen these guys in action before, and it didn’t work all too well the first time. As good as Patrick Beverley is, his presence alone isn’t going to be enough to fix the franchise, and not everyone is sold on what he can do for the Lakeshow.
