Patrick Beverley Ready To Offer Boost For Lakers, Russell Westbrook

Patrick Beverley and Russell Westbrook are longtime basketball enemies, but if you ask Beverley, they can be friends.

After all, with the Lakers unsuccessful in their attempts to trade Westbrook, it appears the two will be teammates alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and under new coach Darvin Ham.

“Super excited,” Beverley told reporters about playing with Westbrook. “… I was asked this question two, three years ago, [about] someone I always wanted to play with and [Westbrook] was the first name. I have [known] Bron since I was a baby, a rookie in this league, so obviously I want to play with him.

“But a player with that competitive spirit, that fire, that will, that dog, that nastiness, that grit, to have a running mate like that, I have never had that. So I am super excited to see where it goes. Obviously like any relationship or any marriage, things, we are going to have tough conversations. That is what comes with winning, but I am excited about those conversations, I am excited about the practices. I am just excited to be able to compete with someone like that.”

Beverley and Westbrook have been contentious at times throughout the course of their careers. That dates back to Westbrook’s days with the Thunder and Beverley’s with the Clippers.

Now, Ham said the two could potentially start next to each other in the backcourt.

“If they play defense,” Ham said. “We’ve got a while. That’s still a ways off, but definitely. People get caught up in the starting lineups a lot, but you look at who is finishing games. Those starters, they’re out there to set that tone for the entire team throughout the game.”

Even if not starting together, you can be certain that throughout the game, they will be in there together.

“I’m not scared of that,” Ham said. “It’s definitely a bullet in the chamber. We’re looking forward to it, man, those guys in the backcourt together, man.”

Beverley was traded from the Timberwolves to the Jazz as part of the Rudy Gobert deal to tip off the offseason. The Jazz then sent him to LA in exchange for Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson.

It seems highly unlikely that this will be the Lakers’ last move of the year. But Beverley is glad they made it, with the goal of helping them return to contention.

“I just feel like they didn’t make the playoffs last year,” Beverley said. “We’re being honest, that’s just the truth, so you can see all the banners, but you know, it’s what have you done for me lately? And lately, (the Lakers) haven’t been a good team. And I’m here. Obviously, Coach Ham is here.

“The polarizing figures out here, what’s the reason, how do we get to it, how do we win, what do we do? What do we sacrifice? What do we give up? Everybody wants to go to the bank and take out, but you have to give something also to be a successful team. So what are you going to give up? And that’s my thing, and that’s what I’m gonna implement.”