Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverley has no regrets for how he defended his teammate Austin Reaves against Deandre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
Beverley shoved Ayton for standing over Reaves following a play in the Lakers-Suns matchup.
PAT BEVERLEY KNOCKS DOWN AYTON FOR TAUNTING AUSTIN REAVES pic.twitter.com/R0G44gQnc4
— LakeShowYo (@LakeShowYo) November 23, 2022
The decision to push Ayton cost Beverley three games due to suspension, but he wouldn’t change anything if the scenario presented itself to him again.
"It's the reason guys want me on their team."@patbev21 protects his guys. He's not gonna apologize for it and he'd do it again. Free Pat Bev. @PatBevPod pic.twitter.com/N4u5vwWG2V
— Barstool Sports (@barstoolsports) November 29, 2022
Beverley explained his side of the story on his podcast with Barstool Sports before taking a shot at Ayton for trying to taunt his teammate.
“F— that,” Beverley said of Ayton’s actions. “F— him. We not going for that s—. Ask people who’s played with me. Ask superstars that played with me. There’s a reason guys want me on their team after they heard about the trade this summer.”
Beverley doubled down on his actions, showing that he will always stand up for his teammates when he deems it to be necessary.
“Very unfortunate situation, you know,” Beverley said of the shove leading to a suspension. “And if I could play it back again, I would do the exact same thing.”
Beverley missed the Lakers’ back-to-back against the San Antonio Spurs as well as the team’s loss on Monday to the Indiana Pacers. However, it’s clear that the veteran guard embraces his role as a defensive anchor and leader on the roster. He wasn’t going to let Reaves get disrespected in any situation.
So far in the 2022-23 season, Beverley is struggling on the offensive end. He is averaging just 4.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. He’s shooting pretty poorly from the field (26.6 percent) and from beyond the arc (23.8 percent).
The Lakers have still kept him in the rotation because of his defensive prowess, but Beverley is going to need to pick it up on the offensive end with other guards coming into the fold such as Dennis Schroder.
In fact, it was reported on Monday that Beverley could be a player to watch on the trade market if the Lakers look to upgrade their roster this season. The veteran guard is owed $13 million this season, which is the final season of his current contract.
Los Angeles got out to a slow start this season, losing 10 of its first 12 games, but the Lakers have won five of their last seven matchups to inch closer towards .500 on the season.
The Lakers and Suns play again on Dec. 19 of this year, and it will be interesting to see how Beverley and Ayton handle themselves after their altercation earlier this season.
