“The icebreaker game?” NBA Analyst reveals how Lakers have added tension to their roster after the inclusion of Patrick Beverley
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Patrick Beverly
The Los Angeles Lakers shocked the NBA world with a trade of Patrick Beverley from the Utah Jazz. The trade, in particular, had so many layers of amusements as we go deep into the analysis of the same. The trade package they sent for a 34-year-old veteran, the history between Beverley and Russell Westbrook, the role he could play in the Lakers team, and with just a one-year guarantee how did the Lakers gamble on Patrick Beverly? LA Times writer Dan Woike was on “The Dan Patrick Show” to share his thoughts on the Lakers’ situation after the trade took place.
He said, “It’s gonna make for a fun employee orientation day, I think. The icebreaker game? I think it’s gonna be really, really awkward around that table.”
Last season, then a Minnesota Timberwolves guard Beverley repeatedly called Russell Westbrook “trash” after beating the LA Lakers, while he was also in the spotlight when he did try to make fun of the Lakers team after his Clippers team added Paul George and Kawhi Leonard to their roster. As of now, it’s more of the Westbrook situation that would be a worrisome drama to handle for Coach Darvin Ham and the LA front office. The Lakers might just have made a move that already puts the embattled Westbrook in an even more uncomfortable situation.
Has the Los Angeles Lakers made a brilliant move with a trade for Patrick Beverley?
Apart from the chemistry and ego issues discussed before, Los Angeles Lakers also need to think about utilizing Beverley’s strong points in the team’s best interest. And this is where it would all make more sense to the fans. Adding Beverly the LA franchise has an experienced guard who would lead the second unit for them on the court. Even if Westbrook is traded – which is a more likely scenario as of now, Beverley can play at the number 1 position for a few minutes for the Lakers.
LA Times writer also mentioned the same point on the show as he said, “If they’re both there in some ways, it shouldn’t be good news for Russell Westbrook. Darvin Ham has talked a lot about, ‘We want Russell to be at the corner and hit threes and to be a defender.’ That’s not really who Russell Westbrook has ever been in the NBA, it is who Patrick Beverley has been.”
It was obvious in the 2022 season that Westbrook is an obvious misfit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. According to Woike, if Westbrook stays with the Lakers, he can also be utilized differently. He said, “There is maybe a logic to this [that] opens up about Russ not being a miscast or be able to do kind of the things he’s more comfortable with. We saw how that played out last year and that was a struggle. I don’t think this makes Russell Westbrook a more seamless fit for the Lakers.”
To give more details over this, “Russ” made only 28.8% of his attempts from long range last season, while Patrick Beverley managed to connect on 34.3% of his attempts. More importantly, Pat Bev has proven to be a more reliable shooter than “Russ” throughout his career. He has made 37.8% of three-pointers, as opposed to Westbrook’s career 30.5% mark.
Also, more importantly, sharing the floor with a ball-dominant player like LeBron James will not be a problem for Beverley either. He’s basically played that role throughout his career and his impact on the game is not determined by the amount of time he has the ball, but it’s the defense he plays on the ball handler of the opposition.
Patrick Beverley has made a name for himself by playing hard-nosed defense and rather been a steel-man for his team. He is never afraid of being aggressive over the dribbler but has a knack for drawing fouls from the opposing players also. While Anthony Davis can be a strong rim protector for the Lakers, Beverly can marshal the wings for them.
Commercially also, the Lakers can now have nearly $34 million cap space available for the 2023-24 season, and Beverly with just 1 season contract, if not proved a fruitful investment in this season; can be replaced with another championship-caliber player. In the end, only time will tell how things work out for the Lakers, whether the move is a master class or another big “misfit”?
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Kunal Chawda
(600 Articles Published)