Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers have felt a lot of emotions ever since it was announced that Patrick Beverley was joining the team.
At first, there was a lot of outrage – mostly due to the fact that Beverley has talked a lot of trash about the team over the years, including comments directed at LeBron James and especially Russell Westbrook.
But then some hearts thawed when they saw that Beverley seems really adamant about doing something positive with the team.
Patrick Beverley at his Lakers locker for the first time 👀 pic.twitter.com/gSYBEAQJXO
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) August 30, 2022
He appears excited to be on the squad and posted a picture of his new locker on Instagram.
Whether they like him or not, Lakers fans need to prepare for the Beverley era.
Replacing Russell
When Beverley got traded, there were many questions about how he would play alongside Westbrook, someone he has spoken so poorly of over the years.
But then a new rumor emerged: they might not play together at all because the Lakers see Beverley as Westbrook’s replacement.
Apparently, the plan is to have Beverley take over Westbrook’s responsibilities and either trade or bench the former MVP.
However, other reports state that Beverley and Westbrook will play together and that the pair have actually spoken and made nice since the trade went down.
There is a chance that Beverley could be a net positive for the team.
He can typically shoot well, his defensive skills are obvious, and he always plays his heart out.
You can understand why the Lakers would take a chance on him, despite his attitude and trash talk issues.
Now the team just needs to figure out if Beverley will play with the Lakers as we know them, or a squad without Westbrook.
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