The Los Angeles Lakers have been forced to pivot away from trying to land Kyrie Irving after it was announced that Kevin Durant had backed off his request to be traded.
L.A. has reportedly acquired veteran guard Patrick Beverley from the Utah Jazz in return for Talen Horton-Tucker.
The Jazz are trading Patrick Beverley to the Lakers for Talen Horton-Tucker, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 25, 2022
While Beverley won’t be a huge upgrade, he can still help move the needle somewhat, especially in three key areas.
1. Perimeter Defense
It is no secret the Lakers struggled on the defensive end last season, as they ranked just 21st in defensive rating. In particular, their current roster is greatly lacking in terms of perimeter defense.
Beverley will help immensely in that specific department.
He is an aggressive and effective point-of-attack defender who can bother opposing guards as they bring the ball up court and set up their teams’ offense. For that reason, he has been nicknamed “Mr. 94 Feet.”
That Patrick Beverley defense 😤😤 https://t.co/1eY4MKtrQO
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) April 16, 2019
In doing so, he can take time off the clock and make it harder for opposing teams to get a good shot. In addition, Beverley’s ability to shadow the opposing team’s ball-handler can improve L.A.’s transition defense, as he can stop the ball and force the other team to go to its set offense.
Last season, L.A. ranked next-to-last in fast-break points allowed.
Beverley will also help set the tone defensively for his new teammates. Such aggressiveness and hustle tend to be contagious, and the Lakers lacked players with such qualities during the 2021-22 campaign.
2. 3-Point Shooting
Another area Los Angeles struggled mightily in last year was 3-point shooting. It ranked just 22nd in 3-point shooting percentage, which resulted in a lack of space to attack for LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook.
Beverley, for his career, has made 37.8 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. He is the type of player opposing defenses won’t want to leave open.
His accuracy did dip to 34.3 percent last season, and now that he’s 34 years of age, some may wonder if he can get his outside shooting efficiency back to where it used to be.
But as long as he does, he will help the Lakers keep defenses honest.
3. Toughness and Attitude
The Lakers have been derided by critics as a soft, offense-only team for many years, going back to the Showtime era of the 1980s.
Beverley is one player in the NBA who isn’t afraid to commit hard fouls or to try to intimidate opponents by trash-talking.
His high motor will help prevent his new teammates from trending towards inertia, especially during the season’s dog days when everyone is tired and the playoffs seem far away.
