After spending his first five seasons in Houston, Patrick Beverley returned for the first time since being traded. The Rockets welcomed him back with open arms, including a touching video tribute during the game.
On Friday evening, the Clippers traveled to Houston to take on the Rockets. For many, this game was built around the hype of Chris Paul playing against his former team. Sadly, we’re going to have to wait for this matchup, as Paul was sidelined with an injury. Lost in all this was the return of multiple former Rockets, who were sent to LA as a part of that blockbuster deal.
Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, and Patrick Beverley all made their return. While all were valuable players to the franchise, there’s no question that Beverley left with the biggest impact on not only the team, but the city as well. His appreciation from the Rockets was shown with a two-minute tribute during the game.
https://twitter.com/HoustonRockets/status/944393423494115329
In January of 2013, Beverley signed a multi-year deal with Houston. A week after being signed, he made his NBA debut, versus the Clippers, fittingly. In his five seasons with the Rockets, Beverley averaged nine points, three assists, four rebounds, and one steal per game. Looking at the stat-sheet, nothing pops up. But it’s the defensive impact Beverley left on the court that Houston fans will remember for a long time.
Beverley quickly became known as one of the better defenders in the NBA. In 2014, he was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team. It’s amazing that as a defender, you can be known for multiple plays or moments. For Rockets fans, and NBA fans for that matter, they’ll mostly remember his battles with Russell Westbrook.
In his final season with Houston, Beverley was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team. Just weeks later, Beverley was traded to Los Angeles. Unfortunately for Beverley, he wasn’t able to play in the game, having to miss the entire season after undergoing an arthroscopic lateral meniscus repair.
Can somebody grab a tissue?
You can see Beverley fighting back the tears. He later tweeted that night he was on the brink of crying after the tribute.
I was close. Told myself I wouldn’t cry. I was Damn close. Houston has done so much for me and my family. Words cannot describe!!! Forever Grateful!!! #ChicagoRaised#HoustonBread https://t.co/tjUgbO3IzD
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) December 23, 2017
Seeing Beverley welcomed back with open arms sure was a great site to see. Hopefully he can return ahead of schedule and help lead the Clippers to a potential playoff run!