The Los Angeles Lakers made a couple of moves last offseason with one of them being a trade for guard Patrick Beverley. Longtime considered one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, Beverley was the spearhead of the kind of defense and attitude head coach Darvin Ham was looking to impart on the team.
While there were some positive moments, overall Beverley’s time with the Lakers wasn’t the biggest success and the front office would choose to trade him at the trade deadline for Mo Bamba. Beverley would eventually wind up with the Chicago Bulls where he had a great time getting a little revenge on Ham and the Lakers on Sunday, beating his former team by 10 points.
Even still, and despite all of the antics on and off the court, Ham appreciates everything that Beverley did while he was with the purple and gold. “As one of the few cave people that’s still around, I’m not on social media so I don’t see a lot of that stuff,” the Lakers head coach said.
“Sometimes it’s texted to me, screenshots or something. But all in all, me personally, I appreciate everything Pat did in trying to do everything myself and my coaching staff asked of him. He’s a hell of a pro and wherever he goes, his impact is felt. I wish him nothing but the best.”
What Ham and the Lakers coaching staff asked of Beverley has also been questioned recently with the Bulls guard believing that he wasn’t used correctly in L.A. Whatever the case, Beverley’s impact is surely being felt in Chicago as the Bulls have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA since he joined.
But Ham having love and appreciation for what Beverley does is completely understandable. Ham was a tough, defensive-minded player who had to be extremely scrappy to hold his spot in the NBA much like Beverley has had to do, and both spent time playing overseas as well. Ham understands Beverley’s path so he will always be a fan of him doing what he needs to do to have an impact.
Austin Reaves stresses need for Lakers to take things one game at a time
Darvin Ham’s Lakers have the chance for a bit of revenge on Beverley and the Bulls when they face off on Wednesday and the game, like every other at this time, is extremely important for the Lakers. Austin Reaves understands that and says it’s crucial that the Lakers take things one game at a time the rest of the year.
“We know we’re in the spot that we’re in and every game for the last month has been crucial so we take it one game at a time and really just try to win the next game,” Reaves added. “Get a win, and then win the next one. We just need to be real focused from here on out.”
With road games against the Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves, Houston Rockets and Utah Jazz before returning home, for the final games of the season the Lakers have a tough road ahead to ensure their spot in the postseason.
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