Getty Patrick Beverley guards Russell Westbrook during the 2021-22 season
Patrick Beverley spoke to the Los Angeles Lakers media on September 6th for the first time and the Chicago native sounded off about playing with Russell Westbrook.
Beverley, who was acquired by the Lakers from the Utah Jazz for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson, said he’s excited to play with Westbrook, who was at Beverley’s introductory press conference.
Patrick Beverley says he’s excited to play with Russell Westbrook. He thinks the two complement each other well and will fit. He says he’s never played with someone who has the same grit and toughness as him. He also acknowledged they’ll have tough conversations at some point.
Pat Beverley and Russell Westbrook greeting each other after Pat’s press conference
New Lakers head coach Darvin Ham plans to play Westbrook and Beverley together in select lineups next season. Los Angeles acquired Beverley from Utah on August 25th.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reported on August 24th that Beverley was eager to join the Lakers, who missed the playoffs last season. Beverley has career averages of 8.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists with the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves. He has never missed the playoffs.
Westbrook, Beverley Ready to End Rivalry?
In 2013, Westbrook was dribbling the ball toward his bench to call a timeout when Beverley went for a steal and took out the nine-time All-Star’s knee, which led to a meniscus tear and multiple knee surgeries. Westbrook and Beverley have gotten into multiple scuffles and verbal back-and-forths since then.
The most significant burn came from Westbrook on November 13, 2019, when he was playing for the Rockets and Beverley was on the Clippers. After Houston defeated Los Angeles, Westbrook was asked about Beverley’s defense and the 2016-17 MVP went off: “Pat Bev trick y’all, man, like he playing defense. He don’t guard nobody, man. He just running around, doing nothing.”
Last season during the Lakers’ road loss to the Timberwolves on March 16th, Westbrook was severely disrespected by Beverley, who called the UCLA product “trash” in front of Los Angeles’ bench. However, it appears the two guards could be squashing their beef now that they are teammates.
According to an August 30th report from NBA insider Marc Stein, Westbrook and Beverley spoke after the Lakers-Jazz trade was completed.
Ham on if Westbrook & Beverley Can Start Together: ‘If They Play Defense’
Ham told reporters after Beverley talked that he believes Westbrook and Beverley will work together “fabulously.” He also wants both players to play defense.
Darvin Ham says Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley will work together “fabulously.” He thinks they complement each other well and wouldn’t want to be an opposing backcourt facing them.
Darvin Ham on if Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley can start together: “If they play defense. If they play defense. Definitely.”
Westbrook started 78 games for the Lakers last season. He averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists while shooting 44.4% from the field, 29.8% from beyond the arc and 66.7% from the free-throw line.
Meanwhile, Beverley appeared in 58 games for the Timberwolves in 2021-22 and averaged 9.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 40.6% from the floor, 34.3% from 3-point range and 72.2% from the charity stripe. Over the past five seasons, Beverley has held opponents to 41.9% shooting as the closest defender, second best among players defending at least 2,000 shots, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
According to a September 5th report from Stein, Westbrook is expected to attend the upcoming Lakers minicamp hosted by LeBron James. The Lakers are exploring trade possibilities for Westbrook, but if no trade comes to fruition, Ham will do his best to make it work with Westbrook, who picked up his $47.1 million player option for next season.
On July 18th, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported that Westbrook, James and Anthony Davis spoke on the phone, with each All-Star expressing their commitment to one another.