Patrick Beverley tends to get remembered for being an instigator on the court, but he was one of the better guard defenders in the NBA at his very best. Beverley took on the assignment of defending the very best guards in the league on a nightly basis and recently stated on X that Luka Doncic was his toughest assignment.
“Toughest person I ever had to guard. Sheesh.”
Beverley has faced off against the likes of Stephen Curry and James Harden at their absolute best, but he would give the nod to Doncic.
Beverley was reacting there to Doncic’s highlights from the first-round series between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Clippers in the Bubble in 2020. It was the Slovenian’s first-ever playoff series in the NBA, and he was utterly dominant in it.
Doncic averaged 31.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game against the Clippers while shooting 50% from the field. Keep in mind, he was facing a team that had not just Beverley, who made the All-Defensive Second Team in 2020, but also Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Doncic was somehow even better when the teams faced off again in the first round the following year. He put up 35.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, 10.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 49% from the field and 40.8% from beyond the arc.
The Clippers just had no answer for Doncic, but to be fair to them, it’s not like any other team did, either. They also actually managed to win both of those series, in six and seven games, respectively.
Doncic managed to make enough of an impression, though, that Beverley admitted he was getting ‘cooked’ by him in the 2021 playoffs. It’s not often that the polarizing guard makes that kind of an admission.
While Doncic dominated against Beverley in the postseason, he wasn’t quite as good in their regular-season matchups. He averaged 24.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 43.3% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc.
So, Beverley, who made three All-Defensive teams in his career, did manage to give Doncic some problems. When it mattered most, though, the superstar got the better of him. Doncic appears to have earned Beverley’s respect in the process, as he called him unguardable on The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone last year.
“He’s 6’7″-6’8″, so you can’t put the classic point guard on him because he’s too small. Can’t keep the classic two-guard on him because he’s too small. Can’t put the three on him because then you have to switch the 3-5 pick-and-roll, now he’s just attacking your five.”
“He’s gonna break a lot of records. Obviously, given health and longevity, at the pace he’s going, he’s going to break a lot of records, Romeski.”
Doncic should break plenty of records, provided he stays healthy, but he won’t be doing it with the team we all had imagined. The Mavericks stunned the basketball world by trading their superstar to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 first-round pick in February.
Beverley, who last played in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024, certainly wasn’t a fan of that decision. It was arguably the most shocking trade in NBA history, and the Lakers were easily the winners of it.
