“That is not lack of leadership but mental toughness” Patrick Beverley defends Kawhi Leonard and Paul George

“That is not lack of leadership but mental toughness” Patrick Beverley defends Kawhi Leonard and Paul George
Patrick Beverley and Kawhi Leonard with Paul George

Los Angeles Clippers’ Patrick Beverley defends Kawhi Leonard and Paul George for lack of leadership. After the Clippers gave a 3-1 lead to Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semi-finals, it came down on the shoulders of their marquee players. When leaders are not able to inspire their team to clearly, they often meet this fate. Leonard and George met the same fate.  

Patrick Beverley spoke to the press on his media day and suggested that it wasn’t the lack of leadership that was the downfall for the Clippers, but it was the lack of mental toughness. Beverley also played a vital role in the playoffs. But at the time of the Clippers’ downfall, he too had no answers for Jamal Murray or Nikola Jokic inspired Nuggets. 

“That is lack of mental toughness” Patrick Beverley 

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Beverley said, “I don’t think it’s leadership (that’s lacking]. I think anything involving you being up real big and losing. You win the lottery, you win a lot of money and then you lose it, that’s not a lack of leadership. That’s lack of some level of toughness, mental toughness.” 

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Beverley said that the team has many players for leadership, but it was the lack of mental toughness to finish the job during the game. He added, “And that’s what we have to address. Our leaders are Kawhi (Leonard), PG, myself, and Lou (Williams) and Marcus Morris also. Now you insert (Serge) Ibaka. But (blowing) a 3-1 lead is not lack of leadership, I think that’s just lack of mental toughness to go out there and finish the job.” 

Beverley believes that mental toughness needs to be built within the roster through repetitions and hard works. He said, “Just put yourself in more situations to be mentally tough. I don’t know- if you do 10 reps of 200 (pound) bench press, do 12. That’s how you build mental toughness. Now when you get into the trenches and things aren’t going right, you have something to build off of.”  

Beverley concluded that the loss to the Nuggets and losing the lead the way they did will help them build up their mental toughness. He added, “Collectively as a group, mental toughness was the key. And being in the situation losing 3-1 gives you mental toughness going into the next season, so that’s the process.” 

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