Next up in our player preview series, we examine the potential 2021 season of Clippers starting point guard Patrick Beverley.
Basic Information
Height: 6’1
Weight: 185 pounds
Position: Point Guard
Age: 32
Years in NBA: 8
Key Stats: 7.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.1 steals in 26.3 minutes per game across 51 games played on 43.1/38.8/66 shooting splits.
Playoff Stats: 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.0 steals in 20.8 minutes per game across 8 games played on 51.3/36.4/50 shooting splits.
Contract Status: In the second year of a 3 year, $40M contract, earning $13.33M this season.
Expectations
Beverley is, along with Lou Williams, the most tenured player on the Clippers roster, as both veteran guards are going into their 4th seasons on the team. Outside of a brief stretch in the 2019 season when Beverley was playing off the bench behind Avery Bradley (gross) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (our sweet prince forever), Beverley has operated as the Clippers’ starting point guard, a role he’s prepared to reprise this season.
Beverley is expected to provide his usual suite of services – leadership, tough perimeter defense, rebounding, outside shooting, and a helping of attitude. With multiple guards who can (theoretically) fill in for him in Luke Kennard, Lou Williams, Reggie Jackson, and even Terance Mann, the Clippers will probably try to keep his minutes around the 25-27 mark, as they have the past couple years. However, Beverley will start, and he will probably close most games as well, making him one of the most important players on the roster.
Strengths
Pat has earned three All-Defense teams in the past seven years, including a second-team selection last season, making him one of the more well-decorated perimeter defenders of the 2010s decade. He’s a tenacious, clever defender who puts pressure on the ball but also makes smart rotations and does less glorious stuff as a help player. While undersized, his toughness and strength enables him to defend much larger players with at least some aptitude, giving him added value in a switch-heavy NBA. There are better point guard defenders in the NBA (Marcus Smart, Kris Dunn, and Eric Bledsoe, with Kyle Lowry and Chris Paul up there as well), but not many. Part of that defense is simply exceptional rebounding – Pat’s rebounding numbers would be solid for a 6’6 wing, much less a 6’1 aging point guard.
However, the most underrated element of Beverley’s game is on the offensive end. While he’s received recognition as a defender, his complementary and quiet offensive game has earned him few plaudits. In particular, Beverley is a legitimately excellent three-point shooter, averaging 38.1% across his career on decent volume. Mostly a spot-up shooter, Beverley is at least somewhat of a threat off the bounce as well, and is capable of hitting shots from all around the arc. Next to scoring stars such as Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Beverley’s off-ball shooting is made even more potent.
Shooting is not Beverley’s only offensive strength. While not a particularly adroit playmaker, Beverley is more than capable of running simple offensive plays and getting a team into sets. He’s also a very secure ballhandler, with a consistently low turnover rate. Not giving the ball away is a huge component to generating a good offense, and while Beverley might not create much from others, he also doesn’t make a lot of mistakes. That has plenty of value.
Finally, Pat Beverley brings a fiery personality and attitude. That can get him into trouble at times, but it also made him a key leader on the highly entertaining, never-say-die 2019 Clippers squad that earned the lasting love of Clippers fans. That same attitude seemed to fail at times in 2020, but it was an unusual season, and Beverley will presumably bring his trademark personality for this critical 2021 campaign.
Weaknesses
As mentioned above, Beverley is a below-average playmaker, passer, and shot creator for an NBA starting point guard. His handle is more functional than deadly, and while he has some quickness, his lack of burst and explosion means he is rarely able to drive to the basket without the aid of a pick. This lack of downhill driving means he doesn’t really create open shots for other players very much, especially in the halfcourt, instead operating better as a secondary or tertiary playmaker. Additionally, his lack of individual scoring means opposing teams can place weaker defenders on him and help off, knowing he’s not super likely to burn them.
While not quite a weakness, it also must be said that Beverley is overrated somewhat defensively. He’s quite good, but probably wasn’t All-Defense last year. And, while he can switch onto bigger players, it’s something that the Clippers do too frequently. His hyperactivity and aggressiveness also result in high foul counts far too often, which is another limit on his playing time. If Beverley isn’t playing, he’s not bringing his positive attributes to the team – and is getting the team into the penalty.
The last of Pat’s weaknesses is the most unfortunate – his propensity to get injured. In eight years in the NBA, Pat has cracked the 70 game line just twice, and finished below 60 in five seasons. He’s just always banged up, and his likelihood of injury is not going to decline as he enters his mid-30s. Perhaps the most underdiscussed reason for the Clippers’ disappointing playoffs is that Beverley missed most of the bubble dealing with the death of a friend, then got injured and missed five of six games in the Mavs series. While he played in all seven games against the Nuggets, he clearly was not at 100%, and that hurt the Clippers a great deal. The Clippers know that Beverley is likely to get injured, and know that their play consistently takes a big hit when he’s out.
Summary
Pat Beverley might be the 3rd most important player on the Clippers, behind the obvious Kawhi and George. The Clippers have a three-year track record of being a far worse team when Beverley is off the floor compared to on, and none of their signings this summer make that scenario any less likely this year. He’s one of the better rebounders, defenders, passers, and shooters on the team, and that array of skills make him a viable candidate to play in any game against any opponent. If the Clippers are to make a deep playoff run, they need Beverley healthy and playing at peak capacity. Anything less and another disappointing finish is much more probable.