Getty Chicago Bulls guard Patrick Beverley talks to head coach Billy Donovan during a bout with the Washington Wizards.
While the complete lack of movement at the NBA trade deadline and Lonzo Ball’s knee issues have left some fans feeling like the Chicago Bulls are staring a lost season in the face, Patrick Beverley’s Windy City return has given others reason to hope for a late-year push.
For his part, Beverley seems intent on making it happen, too. After two games in the red and black, the 34-year-old is 2-0 and impressing his new teammates as much with his voice and leadership as he is with his actual hardwood output.
And while a desire to participate in postseason hoops is clearly a motivating factor for him, Beverley has made no secret of the fact that repping his hometown holds significant meaning as well.
“Woke up in the city. Dream come true #kidfromchicago,” Beverley tweeted before taking the court as a member of the Bulls for the first time.
In an effort to help ensure he makes the most of his homecoming, Beverley went to one of his old Los Angeles Lakers cohorts and a veritable icon with experience playing in his own backyard for advice.
New Bulls PG Patrick Beverley Went to LeBron James for Insight on Going Back Home
If you weren’t on the Pat Bev train, don’t try hopping back on 😂
During his walk-off interview with NBC Sports Chicago following the Bulls’ 131-87 home win over the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, Beverley rebuffed the notion that playing in his old digs had generated any additional pressure or rattled him in any way.
“I’m a pro,” Beverley said, before joking, “If you ain’t asked me for no tickets, don’t start asking me for them now.”
That said, the 11th-year pro — who has spent time with the Houston Rockets, LA Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves in addition to the Bulls and Lakers — made a point to talk to LeBron James before seeing his first action with Chicago.
“I talked to LeBron, who’s my big brother, and I asked him a lot of questions — ‘How was it playing at home?’ — the biggest thing he told me was to prioritize the job, which is playing basketball, and have everything else come after that. And I’ve just tried to do that since I’ve been back.”
So far, that approach seems to be working for Beverley.
Of course, James — who was born in raised in Akron, Ohio — spent a total of 11 seasons playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers over two stints.
Billy Donovan Sounds Off on Zach LaVine’s Offensive Output
While one could definitely point to Beverley’s presence on the roster as a factor in the Bulls’ early post-break success, the offensive uptick Zach LaVine has experienced has played perhaps an even bigger role.
The Bulls’ cornerstone has connected on a whopping 23 of his 35 attempts since play resumed, a byproduct of his determination to get to the tin. And, as head coach Billy Donovan sees it, Chicago needs LaVine to continue to attack.
“I think it’s really important that he does that,” Donovan said following the Bulls’ Sunday win over the Washington Wizards, via The Athletic’s Darnell Mayberry. “I think when Zach is in that mode, it opens up things for him, it opens up his three and it allows him to get his passing in the game where he can spread the ball out.
“He’s the one guy who can play at the rim and get downhill.”