Clippers count on Patrick Beverley’s elite energy through ups and downs
The fiery guard -- the defensive hero in last Christmas' win over the Lakers -- remains an integral part of the Clippers' operation.
Patrick Beverley had a Dec. 25 to remember last season.
Think back to the closing seconds of that Clippers-at-Lakers showdown. A Christmas battle that went the visitors’ way, 111-106, thanks to Beverley’s quick hands and the NBA’s slow-motion replay rule.
Remember the 6-foot-1 guard swarming LeBron James as the Lakers’ star rose up for the potential go-ahead shot with just a 3 ticks remaining. Recall the Clippers’ all-world pest pushing a hand into James’ shot — and the replay showing the ball grazing James on its way out of bounds, returning possession to the Clippers.
That night’s quintessential Pat Bev stat line: eight points, nine rebounds and four assists in 31 minutes — in which time the Clippers outscored the Lakers by 26 points.
It was a highlight of a season that soon took an unprecedented, unimaginable turn when the coronavirus pandemic triggered a months-long hiatus just as the Clippers seemed to be finding a groove.
And then came the restart in Florida, which the Clippers might like to forget, even if having endured it helps in the long run.
The experience was especially fraught for Beverley, who lost a dear friend to gun violence July 20. He went home to Chicago to mourn for a few days, and then returned to quarantine alone and then to play basketball in a bubble, grieving.
He also was limited by a lingering calf injury, and criticized for sparring with Michele Roberts, executive director of the players’ union, during a meeting following their strike in protest of police violence and racism after the police shooting of Jacob Blake. He even got dinged $25,000 by the league for “verbal abuse of an official” during the Denver series.
Those couple months cut off from the world tested the Clippers, who were struggling to fit their impressive pieces together, and burdened for the first time with the additional weight of being a favorite.
“Last year was the first year some of the guys had targets on their backs, meaning picking us to either win or go deep in the playoffs,” said Kawhi Leonard, who along with Paul George was invited aboard to headline the Clippers’ as-yet unrequited title pursuit.
“I think that carries over to this year, they know what’s expected and know what we wanna do, and he,” Leonard said of Beverley, “is a part of that.”
Whatever the competition — Jenga in a sick boy’s hospital room or NBA basketball on Christmas — bet that Beverley will be a most active party.
That includes Friday, in the Clippers’ Christmas rematch against the Denver Nuggets, the team that in September erased the Clippers’ 3-1 series lead in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, excusing Beverley and his colleagues for vacation well before they were ready.
In the aftermath, the Clippers parted ways with coach Doc Rivers, the biggest change in an offseason that featured some significant retooling but not an all-out overhaul. Beverley and Lou Williams — the leaders of the upstart Clippers squad that engendered so much good will in 2018-19 — were oft mentioned in offseason trade speculation. But both remain on the team, still important contributors.
Beverley’s job is the same as ever: Bring it.
“His energy’s infectious,” said Tyronn Lue, who was promoted from his position as a Clippers assistant coach to the head man in charge. “He can come out at the end of the game and have zero points and zero shots and he’s the happiest guy in the locker room. You just don’t find a lot of guys like that anymore.
“His personality, who he is as a player, defensively, bringing intensity, he sets the tone for us every night. That’s who he is and it’s a big part of our team, and we need that.”
His is an example his younger teammates aspire to, they say.
“He is going to play hardest and we just got to try to match his energy,” said fifth-year center Ivica Zubac, who, after a season and a half playing with Beverley is accustomed to having the 32-year-old guard on his case and in his corner.
“He is always giving out some advice since I have been here, about being a professional. He’s always bringing the same energy every game and he’s preparing for … every game like it’s the most important game of the season.”
Said second-year guard Terance Mann: “My whole rookie year he helped me out … little things that he likes to teach us defensively, just being aggressive, which is basically not being scared of anything while you’re out there. Just having him around gives you confidence.”
Beverley is a willing student, too; Leonard shared some of his routine with Beverley when the two trained together during last season’s hiatus, sessions that Beverley said changed his life. And though Rivers said recently the special treatment afforded Leonard and George rankled the old guard, Leonard said he digs Beverley, too.
“With Pat, he just wants to get better every day,” Leonard said. “He’s very competitive, he tries to get under everybody’s skin. Now during the season, I feel like he’s trying to get everybody ready for that moment.
“He wants to win bad, so I like Pat. He’s a competitor and he’s a team guy. He does his role,” Leonard added. “I enjoy him. I like playing with him.”
locker room after the clippers opening night W vs the lakers.
“ay yo no cap, way to defend way to stay together yo, way to talk to each other, nobody got attitudes, way to play the right way”- pat bev. pic.twitter.com/KVYFKWMRGE
— Clippers24Seven (@Clippers24seven) December 24, 2020
As well he should, Beverley said after Tuesday’s season-opening victory, another “road” victory at Staples Center against the Lakers, a win to which he contributed 10 points, six rebounds (four offensive) and three assists and his pervasive intensity (and four fouls).
“I just feel like I lead with no preconceived notions,” Beverley said. “I’m here to be the best teammate, and one of the best leaders on the planet, to try to win as many games. The way I am in a game is the way I am, I don’t know, when I’m playing PlayStation or if I’m in practice. I’m always trying to win.
“So I guess it’s a good breath of fresh air when you have a point guard like that.”
MORRIS OUT
The Clippers will clash with Denver on Friday without Marcus Morris Sr., who remains sidelined with left knee soreness. Lue hasn’t offered a timetable for Morris’ return, but the forward has practiced, the coach said previously, despite also missing all of the team’s preseason games.