Surrounded in all the hype of the Derrick Rose documentary and Rose’s agent expressing interest in a possible return to the Bulls, another Chicago native has flown right under the radar. Enter: Pat Beverley.
What are the Bulls looking for in a point guard?
- Distributor that doesn’t turn the ball over? Check
- Great shooter that can space the floor for Zach LaVine? Check
- Hard-nosed defender that covers for LaVine’s weaknesses? Check
- Doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be productive? Check
- Locker room leader that helps his teammates get better? Check
There is not a better fit for the Chicago Bulls on the free agent market than Beverley. His Swiss Army Knife skill set would elevate the play of everyone around him. Even if the Chicago Bulls draft a point guard like Ja Morant or Darius Garland in the upcoming draft, they’d be hard pressed to find a better mentor than Beverley.
The struggles of rookie point guards making the jump to the big league has been well documented, so allowing whoever the Bulls draft some time to adapt to the NBA could be another big benefit to adding Beverley.
Beverley is a guy who has trained with and knows how to guard even the likes of James Harden and Lou Williams. Even in his 6-foot, 185-pound frame, Beverley jumps at the opportunity to guard the other teams best player. He’s a knockdown shooter that has shot over 38 percent from behind the arc the last four years. He exudes a level of toughness and confidence that desperately needs to rub off onto the rest of the Bulls roster.
Best of all, even as his 31st birthday looms ahead, Beverley has much less minutes and miles on his legs than other veterans. Due to the fact he didn’t play a game in the NBA until he was already 24, Beverley has only accumulated a total of 408 games.
What he lacks for in regular season experience, he makes up for in postseason experience as he heads into the eight playoff series of his career. Although the Clippers may not fare very well against the reigning NBA champions, Beverley is certainly going to make them work for every victory.