The criticism of the Lakers doesn’t stop.
Less so in terms of the record, and more in terms of the eye test, evident chemistry problems, and other factors, the first half of the 2022–2023 Lakers season was among the worst in the team’s history.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Patrick Beverley, who had a poor tenure with the team, had some unfavorable things to say about Los Angeles and their supporters:
It’s true that Beverley and Russell Westbrook were held responsible, but supporters had good reason to do so. They were clogging the floor, playing poorly off the ball, and generally having a terrible time offensively.
Following the trade deadline, LA went 18-9, which helped them win two surprising playoff games and advance to the Western Conference Finals. Down the stretch, the greater playmaking and spacing provided by pivotal players like D’Angelo Russell and Rui Hachimura proved crucial, emphasizing the relatively detrimental effects that Beverley and Westbrook had.
Beverley’s other comment, that he and Russ are on two of the league’s best teams now, is pretty ridiculous. When this was written, Beverley was playing less than 20 minutes per game for the Philadelphia 76ers, who featured 26-point scorer Tyrese Maxey and then-MVP front-runner Joel Embiid.
With three excellent offensive players on the Clippers, Westbrook is currently a bench piece. Although he has performed well when coming off the bench, as a non-shooting point guard, he is difficult to build around. Because of their own offensive limitations, neither he nor Beverley were ever going to fit with the Lakers. They don’t fit with LA, but they do fit somewhere else in smaller roles.
This is hardly surprising because Beverley has a history of speaking disparagingly in the media.
