Patrick Beverley has made a name for himself with his pesky defense, intangibles and trash-talking. He excels in areas that aren’t reflected in stats, and that’s what teams sign him for. However, Beverley still deals with criticism for his minimal box score numbers.
For his career, Beverley averages 8.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game on 41.3% shooting from the field. His three-point shooting stands at 37.3%, but this has dipped to 33.7% since the 2021-22 NBA season, which is clearly a disappointing figure.
In the face of these numbers, Beverley defended himself against fans who ridicule him for his stats, particularly his low scoring numbers. He asserted that his impact on the game goes beyond just scoring and views himself as the kind of player others would want on their team.
As transcribed by Wenzell Ortiz of Sideline Sources:
“I don’t know why people always come to me about points. Like I impact the game of basketball. I give my teammates energy and confidence that they’ve never had ever before. I’m still an elite—check the numbers now—defender in the world.
Why am I always criticized about my buckets? Why I ain’t never criticized about my stops or my offensive rebounds? I’m top 10 in charges in the league last year and I’ve always been a defender when I came in the league. I know y’all can’t really say anything about my defense so y’all got to go O [offense]. But that’s how it is.
I’ve been in the league 12 years. I’ve been a professional 16 years. I’ve overcome a ton of injuries. Injuries that no one ever came back from. I’ve been talking the same way since I entered the NBA. I don’t understand why everyone’s surprised now—because the voice is bigger, the platform is bigger. I’ve been popping my s–t since day one. That s–t will not stop. You can argue what you want but your favorite player wishes I was on his team. Say that, on bro.”
“I’ve been talking the same way since I entered the NBA… Your favorite player wishes I was on his team.”
— Patrick Beverley
(via @PatBevPod)pic.twitter.com/maICl1QX4Q
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 6, 2023
