The acquisition of Patric Beverley will help the Lakers in so many ways. Besides giving the team another playmaker and ball-handler, Beverley is an elite defender and old-school rough rider who should help set the tone and bring out the best in his teammates.
But what does his arrival mean for veteran star Russell Westbrook? At this point, it doesn’t seem like Westbrook is going to get moved anytime soon, but FOX Sports analyst Skip Bayless says that Beverley may just end up taking his place anyway.
Because, as Bayless sees it, Bev is a much better and more complete player than Russ is right now.
“Now Patrick is gonna some, if not a whole lot, of Westbrook’s minutes. Because Shannon, in the end, with God as my witness, what I believe here is, Patrick Beverley right now is better than Russell Westbrook. He’s more valuable in so many ways. He’s a better three-point shooter, he’s a better playmaker. He makes all the right plays.”
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It’s no secret that Skip has been one of Russell’s most vocal critics over the past few years. Besides Beverley, Bayless also recently named Dennis Schroder as superior to Westbrook on the court.
“Right now, Dennis Schröder is better than Russell Westbrook,” Bayless said. “He would be more acceptable to LeBron, he would fit better next to LeBron and AD. He averaged 15 and 6 for the Lakers two years ago. He’s pretty nifty… Very good in the pick and roll. He would be much useful to LeBron and a better fit for LeBron than Russ would be… He’s not more delusional than Russell Westbrook about what his worth is.”
It might be a stretch to say that Beverley and Schroder are better than Westbrook, but they aren’t very far behind him. In his prime, Russell was a beast and triple-double machine who could not be stopped when attacking the rim.
Today, he has lost touch with many of the things that made him so great. Needless to say, he has got a lot to prove to win back the trust and favor of the NBA community.
