Patrick Beverley Is the Perfect Fit for the Bulls
Bulls VP John Paxson wants to bring in a tough-minded veteran player, as well as upgrade the point guard position. There is a certain Chicago native that could kill 2 birds with 1 stone.
He’s currently entangled in a playoff series (tied 1 game apiece) as a member of the LA Clippers, making life hard for Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors, with his smothering defense.
Yes, I’m talking about the free agent to be Patrick Beverley.
Yes, a lot of Bulls fans are hoping that the Bulls latest effort of bringing in a home town player, will result in a reunion involving Derrick Rose. But bringing in Beverley could be the better option in terms of fit. Paxson and Bulls head coach Jim Boylen has stated the need for the Bulls to get tougher, and more physical on defense, as well as needing a take no nonsense veteran to lead the young guys.
Beverley certainly fits the build, there might not be any other player in the NBA who embodies the gritty, hard hat and lunch pale work ethic of the city of Chicago, quite like Beverley. He doesn’t back down from anybody, even when giving up size to a player like Lebron James or Kevin Durant, Pat uses his impeccable defensive skills to get under their skin and knock them off their game.
Photo: espn.com
Beverley was asked about his defensive efforts on KD after defeating the Warriors in game 2, this was his response.
“I can’t help it if he gets irritated by me. It’s not my fault. I try to be the best defender on this f****** planet. Consistently, in and out. I take my role, I take my job very seriously. I do it for my teammates. I understand my role and I understand how to get stops. KD isn’t an easy cover but it’s fun out there for sure.”
A couple of things stand out in this quote. The first one would be the selflessness displayed here. Pat credits his teammates, as the reason that he tries to be the best defender on the planet, that certainly sounds like a guy who would care about the name across the chest, rather than the one on the back of the jersey, and someone that would have Boylen “jacked and juiced” that he’s apart of his team.
In short, he sounds like the perfect point guard to be an extension of Boylen on the floor. Another important take away from this quote, is Pat stating that he understands his role, which is absolutely huge. Pat’s role in Chicago would be leading the defensive charge and making sure that Zach Lavine, Lauri Markkanen, Otto Porter Jr. and Wendell Carter Jr. are all fed a healthy amount of shot attempts. Beverley doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective, he’s not looking to be a scorer, which is apparent by his 9 points per game average for his career. But his career 37.8% shooting from 3 point range, will keep his defender honest and is enough to help stretch and space the floor out for the Bulls core 4 to operate.
Photo: nba.com
Patrick Beverley is essentially the player the Bulls were hoping that they had in Kris Dunn. With Dunn still being under his rookie deal for the Bulls, and Paxson stating the Bulls have not yet given up on Kris. Signing Beverley could not only be beneficial for the Bulls as a whole, but also to Dunn’s individual game. Beverly could be the mentor that Dunn needs in order to take the next step in fine-tuning his game.
Bulls fans should keep an eye on Beverley, as he could be making opposing players see red in a Bulls uniform next season.
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