Patrick Beverley has to be feeling somewhat disrespected.
In a span of 24 hours he was traded from the Los Angeles Clippers to the Memphis Grizzlies and then traded again to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Is that it? Are we good to proceed as if this will be his destination in the 2021 season? Let’s assume so. And if it is the case, Pat Bev brings a rugged style of play that the Wolves are starving for.
Patrick Beverley is the definition of the guy who you hate when you play against him and love if he’s on your team. He’s an instigator, a pot-stirrer and he’s damn good at it. And it all starts on the defensive end for Beverley.
Coaches don’t look around and say, “Man we need a bucket. Let’s go to Patrick Beverley.” He’s a career 8.8 points per game dude who shoots efficiently, but not often. It just isn’t his style. But Minnesota needs his style injected into the roster. And that’s because those same coaches that don’t look for Pat Bev to go get a bucket are the same ones who assign him to the opposing team’s best guard and even their best scorer. If it’s someone else heating up on a given night, Beverley will take on the assignment because it’s known in the league that he will irritate guys and usually lock them up.
Minnesota’s defense has been woeful for a few seasons now. It’s a fun style to watch with many points being exchanged back and forth, but when the Wolves need a stop, they’ve often fallen flat on their face. A player like Beverley can change the perception and the energy that’s focused on that end of the court.
He isn’t Rudy Gobert blocking shots left and right. He isn’t Draymond Green who can guard spots 1 through 5 on the court. He’s a 6’1″, 180-pound bulldog who gives max effort while talking the talk on the floor. He’s a bull in a China shop in some ways, but it’s usually controlled chaos with Beverley. The Wolves haven’t had someone like that on defense since Jimmy Butler. And for all the eye rolling that hearing Jimmy’s name again will bring, the last time the Wolves made the playoffs was with a Butler-led team.
This isn’t suggesting that Beverley is Jimmy Buckets. He’s not. But the mental makeup, the confidence to get in a teammate’s face and let them know to step it up on defense when they need to hear it, that’s where the comparisons can be made.
Beverley gets it from where he’s been.
Look at this Timberwolves roster and where these top guys were selected.
Karl-Anthony Towns was No. 1 overall pick, a “can’t miss” prospect. Anthony Edwards was a No. 1 overall pick. D’Angelo Russell went No. 2 overall in the same draft (2015) that Towns went No. 1 in. Those are Minnesota’s three best players. All three have displayed the grit and the hunger, Beverly is just a different breed.
Beverley was selected No. 46 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. He was cut when finals cuts were made later on that year. He immediately went overseas and played in a Greek league. When he finally got another crack in the league in 2013, he was assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA Developmental League. He finally got his shot after that with the Rockets and hasn’t looked back.
Point is, Beverley doesn’t know what it’s like to be a drooled-over-can’t-miss prospect. He’s busted his ass to get where he is and he doesn’t have a dazzling skillset that will light the league on fire. It’s defense and effort with him, and that’s what this Timberwolves team needs.
With Pat Bev in the mix, the Timberwolves have a legitimately fun roster.
Anthony Edwards is a walking highlight reel after being selected No. 1 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft. Karl-Anthony Towns is a stretch forward who’s play is so smooth on the offensive end of the floor. A big man who can facilitate like him isn’t seen too frequently in the NBA and head coach Chris Finch utilized it well.
Then there’s D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley. Both can heat up like a microwave and drop nukes from the great land beyond. The defense leaves a lot to be desired, but the offensive style and skillset is electric.
While Beverley isn’t the caliber of player that can be the sole move Minnesota makes this offseason to go from non-contender to playoff team, it’s a hell of a start for Gersson Rosas. This roster needed a jolt on defense. Not only did they get the player who does that, but they also got the player that will hold everyone else accountable. Defense was desperately needed last year, and it’s what the Wolves got in Patrick Beverley.
