LOS ANGELES, California – Your Los Angeles Lakers unveiled their newest member today at the UCLA Health Training Center in an exciting post-workout press conference. Patrick Beverley, a point guard with 10 years of NBA experience, addressed the gathering L.A. for the first time as a Laker to the media. Being a Clipper for four seasons, he is obviously no stranger to Crypto.com Arena having played there previously.

A resounding question with enthusiasm is – Will this be the first of many?

Beverley, who joined the Lakers in a two-for-one trade with the Utah Jazz, did spend some time talking about the perception one gets from the league at large when wearing the purple and gold. Darvin Ham, the team’s head coach, was also present and gushed over Beverley’s placement on a roster so lacking in shooters (though he obviously avoided discussing the team’s overall shortcomings from long range).

But one of the more bizarre incidents involves Russell Westbrook, Beverley’s new teammate. The 2017 MVP came to the press conference to praise the Lakers’ most recent addition. Given that (1) Beverley was reportedly hired to replace Westbrook as the starter and (2) Beverley and Westbrook have been rivals for almost a decade as athletes, this was a little surprising.

Beverley, who excels at both those things, is a better fit with LeBron James and Anthony Davis at this point in his career than Westbrook, who is a mediocre defender and jump shooter. Beverley ranked in the top 92nd percentile of NBA players last season with a defensive box plus/minus rating of 2.1. He also has a career three-point shooting percentage of 37.8% on 4.2 tries per game, however last year he made a more average 34.3% of them (still significantly better than Westbrook’s shocking 29.8%).

The Lakers reportedly wanted to trade Westbrook, but they were unwilling to part with their first-round draft picks in 2027 and 2029. It’s in his best advantage to be friendly if he stays around for at least the first few weeks of the season.

At least at their first official public encounter as teammates, he played nicely. Westbrook once threw Beverley a fresh towel to help him seem more presentable as he spoke to the media’s waiting microphones while sweaty from his exercise. 

It remains to be seen if these two seasoned point guards will ever be able to perform this with real basketball while sharing the court as Lakers.

On Russel Westbrook III

American professional basketball player Russell Westbrook III plays for the National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Lakers. He is a nine time NBA All-Star, a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, and the 2016–17 NBA Most Valuable Player.

33 years old and born on November 12, 1988 in Long Beach, California 

Seattle Supersonics (Round 1/Pick 4) in the 2008 NBA Draft 

Location of wedding: Beverly Hills, California, USA 

Los Angeles Lakers, 2021; other teams, MORE 

Men’s basketball competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics won a gold medal. 

LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and James Harden are some of his notable teammates.

Stats with the LA Lakers:

GP – 78

Min – 34.3

Pts – 18.5

FG% – 44.4

3pt% – 29.8

Reb – 7.4

Ast – 7.1

Stl – 1.0

Blk – 0.3

On Patrick Beverly

American professional basketball player Patrick Beverley plays for the National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Lakers. Prior to spending three and a half seasons abroad in Russia, Ukraine, and Greece, he played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He joined the Houston Rockets in January 2013.

34 years old and born on July 12, 1988 in Chicago, Illinois, USA 

2.01 m Wingspan. He was a 2009 NBA Draft, Round 2, Pick 42 

Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers merged in 2022.

He is also an NBA All-Defensive Team honors 

Education: Marshall Metro High School, University of Arkansas, and Waubonsie Valley High School

Recent stats:

GP – 58

Min – 25.4

Pts – 9.2

FG% – 40.6

3pt% – 34.3

Reb – 4.1

Ast – 4.6

Stl – 1.2

Blk – 0.9