Patrick Beverley will always be remembered for his time with the Houston Rockets and the Los Angeles Clippers. Now, he’s become one of the most popular players on the Minnesota Timberwolves. But few will remember his brief stop with the Memphis Grizzlies on his way to Minneapolis.
On a recent J.J. Redick podcast, Beverley recited one of his conversations with Grizzlies general manager Zachary Kleiman. Beverley was part of the package the Los Angeles Clippers traded to Memphis for Eric Bledsoe. As Beverley recounts his conversation with Kleiman, it becomes increasingly clear that these two sides were very far apart.
“‘We’ll see how it goes this summer camp,'” Beverley said, recalling his conversation with Kleiman. “In my mind, [I’m like summer camp?,] ‘Motherfucker I’m the starting guard next to Ja Morant.'”
Memphis was looking to suffuse their roster with young talent. Beverley found himself in a familiar situation, doubted.
Whether it was the Miami Heat sending him overseas or that the Los Angeles Clippers were unwilling to pay him in the offseason, Pat Bev has always had a chip on his shoulder.
After Minnesota traded for him, it became evident that he had something to prove. To many people, it wasn’t a question of whether the Timberwolves would make the playoffs. They weren’t. But it also wasn’t a question to Patrick Beverley. They were.
Bev has made the playoffs every year of his career, and when he arrived in Minnesota, he said, “I don’t expect that to change.”
With his defensive prowess, intensity, and experience, he and head coach Chris Finch have turned a once-poor defensive team into a premier defensive unit. The Timberwolves possessed a defensive rating of 115 in the season before Beverley’s arrival. This year they boast a DRTG of 110. Finch’s new scheme deserves a lot of the credit, but so does the new mentality and toughness Pat Bev brings.
The only downside to Beverley’s impact is that his legs aren’t what they once were. He has had frequent lower-body injuries, and as the season draws on, the risk of any injury increases with the potential of Bev missing time in the playoffs. Due to this, the Timberwolves have shown the willingness to rest Beverley. They are taking the right approach with a 33-year-old veteran, but the Wolves need to learn how to win when he’s out.
Even if Beverley stays healthy in the playoffs, there will still be around 15 minutes a night where Beverley is not on the court. Minnesota’s ability to fill Beverley’s void when he’s off the court could be the difference between getting on a flight to their 2nd round matchup, or as Damian Lillard put it so kindly to Beverley after the Los Angeles Clippers’ 3-1 choke in the bubble, the Wolves boarding their flight to Cancun.
So who can step up in these Pat Bev-less minutes?
D’Angelo Russell
Beverley’s backcourt running mate is the first candidate.
Russell has learned how to be a better leader and defensive player from Pat Bev. Both improvements are evident when you watch any DLo game this season. Russell’s teammates constantly rave over him as a player and person in their postgame interviews.
A player who once was a liability, Russell has stepped up as a defensive leader this season. The way Chris Finch has used DLo as a defender so far this season has been nothing short of brilliant. However, it’s one thing to implement a scheme; it’s another to execute it. And D’Angelo Russell has.
Although his size and athleticism make man-to-man defense a sore spot in his game, Russell has thrived in the zone coverage scheme Finch put him in this season.
He already has the defensive leadership. Russell needs to match Beverley’s individual defense and intensity in Beverley’s absence.
Jarred Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt is another player who could slide into a Beverly-type role.
Even though Vanderbilt is not a guard, he can still look to affect the game in his own way.
Vanderbilt redlines his motor at all times, so it’ll be easy for V8 to match Beverley’s intensity. But Vanderbilt, 22, doesn’t have Beverley’s defensive leadership. He’s not sure how to keep everyone in the right mindset yet. If Beverley sees the team losing their composure, he’ll provide a calming presence by slowing down the pace and taking control.
Vanderbilt hasn’t truly unlocked this type of play yet. But if there’s a time for him to look to improve, it should be when Beverley is on the bench.
Anthony Edwards
Although Edwards isn’t the player he once was since returning from his extended period away from the team, he still possesses everything to fill in for Beverley. He’s constantly hustling on the floor, providing 100% effort at all times, even on defense.
Edwards has turned into a great face defender. He actively asks Finch to defend guards like Ja Morant, Dejounte Murray, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and has had relative success against them.
And like Beverley, Ant loves to talk trash.
In the Timberwolves’ recent win in Miami, Kyle Lowry air-balled a late 3 point that all but finished the game. Edwards took it upon himself to make every fan aware of the result.
Oddly enough, the Miami Heat fans in the FTX Arena weren’t too keen on joining in on his chant.
Edwards has the defensive ability, leadership, and intensity, making him a prime candidate to step up when Bev goes down.
Although there’s no perfect candidate for replacing Patrick Beverley, the rest of Minnesota’s roster can look to fill some of the void. If any of these three players can fill even half of Beverley’s influence, the Wolves would be better equipped to handle any time he has to miss down the stretch.
