The Los Angeles Lakers finally made a move in the off-season as they traded in Patrick Beverley in exchange for Stanley Johnson and Talen Horton Tucker. The joining of Pat Bev in this Lakers lineup was a very interesting prospect as they had someone like Russell Westbrook who has had his issues with Beverley in the past. So people are excited to see how things turn out and how coach Darwin Ham manages to make this work in the upcoming NBA season.
Westbrook was already under a lot of pressure but now with Patrick Beverley joining the team makes things worse. However there must be a situation where both the players can fit in and make it work. The situation is so interesting that even the LA Times writer Dan Wokie feels that there should be an icebreaker game as he cannot even imagine the awkwardness that will surround the dressing room.
“It’s gonna make for a fun employee orientation day, I think. The icebreaker game? I think it’s gonna be really, really awkward around that table,” Wokie said at the “Dan Patrick Show’.
Westbrook and Beverley have been going at each other for sometime now. It all started back in 2013 and really went off in 2019 when Brodie made some comments on Pat Bev tricking everyone.
The former Minnesota Timberwolves guard had his revenge last season as he did not hold back in their match against the Lakers and they eventually won that game making a strong statement. After the game Beverley did not hold back as he termed Westbrook’s performance as ‘trash’.
With clashing egos from both sides it will be a mess for the team and the dressing room if not kept under control by the coach Darvin Ham.
“If they’re both there in some ways, it should be good news for Russell Westbrook. Darvin Ham has talked a lot about, ‘We want Russell to be at the corner and hit threes and to be a defender,” Wokie added.
He then also mentioned how Russ will be a major misfit as he is simply not the player that Ham wants him to be. It sounds more like Pat Bev hitting the threes and being strong in defence.
“There is maybe a logic to this [that] opens up about Russ not being a miscast or be able to do kind of the things he’s more comfortable with. We saw how that played out last year and that was a struggle. I don’t think this makes Russell Westbrook a more seamless fit for the Lakers,” Wokie explained.
The Lakers needed someone who can shoot and also carry out major defensive plays. While Westbrook has been very unreliable with his shooting, Pat Bev has been a decent three point shooter and an even better defender than Brodie.
