Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverley has the reputation of being a big-time defender and a big-time talker.
While he’s a polarizing figure amongst fans across the league, he clearly has a very high opinion of himself.
During a recent interview with Barstool Sports, Beverley boasted about his value and told the interviewer to ask the superstars that he’s played with about his value to teams.
"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
“Ask superstars that played with me, there’s a reason guys want me on their teams,” he said.
It’s important to note that just before the quote, Beverley was talking about the recent altercation he got into with Phoenix Suns big man Deandre Ayton.
Beverley strongly pushed Ayton after he stood over Austin Reaves in a way that Beverley wasn’t fond of. For Lakers fans, it was a nice moment to see Beverley stand up for the talented youngster.
Patrick Beverley LEVELS Deandre Ayton pic.twitter.com/zy2aTpDoBz
— Lakers Daily (@LakersDailyCom) November 23, 2022
With that in mind, it is important to note that Beverley’s value as an actual contributor on the court this season has been severely lacking.
In 14 games this season, Beverley is averaging just 4.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. The production itself isn’t the major problem. However, his usage and efficiency have been quite concerning. First of all, he’s putting in those numbers despite logging 14 starts in those 14 appearances and averaging 27.4 minutes per game.
Secondly, his efficiency shooting the ball has been atrocious. He’s hitting just 26.6 percent of his shots from the field and 23.8 percent of his shots from deep.
His career shooting splits are 41.1 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from deep.
Though the Lakers players surely appreciated seeing Beverley stand up for Reaves, there is little doubt that Lakers star LeBron James and Anthony Davis would much prefer he hit a larger number of his shots.
Interestingly, Beverley’s name recently popped up in trade rumors. Jovan Buha of The Athletic pegged him as a “name to watch” as the Lakers leadership determines whether or not to try to make moves to better contend this season.
If a trade does ultimately occur, it will be interesting to see if he is moved to a team hoping to challenge for a playoff spot or a team that is more realistically building towards the future.
