LA Clippers: 3 Candidates for NBA’s Most Improved Player
LA Clippers MIP Candidate: Patrick Beverley – Point Guard
There were tons of questions during this short offseason as to who the point guard and main ball-handler would be for the LA Clippers this 2020-2021 NBA season. Despite rumors and trade offers, it appears that Patrick Beverley is slated to return as the starting point guard.
Beverley is one of the most dominant defensive players in the league as he can defend anyone who plays point guard to most small forwards. The biggest negative on Beverley as a starter is his lack of offensive consistency as a shooter and his ability to set up plays.
Beverley has never been a producer of offensive dominance in his eight seasons in the NBA. His best season, offensively, was his first season with the Clippers after being traded from the Houston Rockets in the offseason of 2017. Beverley averaged 12.2 points in the 11 starts before being out for the season with a knee injury. He has only averaged more than 10 points a game in three of his eight seasons.
Beverley is not a player to rush shots, he is able to make the big plays if he needs to. The consistency of his shots made is what he knows he needs to develop. He is also not the most electrifying player as a pure passing point guard. His best season for assists per game was in the 2016-2017 NBA season, his last season with Houston, where he averaged 4.2.
Beverley has been shown during this offseason developing himself as a consistent point guard in the passing and scoring portions on offense. He now has a full season of playing with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George under his belt. The biggest key for him to do now is to develop consistent on-the-court chemistry with the two superstars and the rest of the Clippers playmakers.
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Beverley does have the potential to turn into a top-tier offensive point guard in the league, which is why the team did not make a trade for one during free agency. If he is able to do this, he will definitely be one of the most improved players in the NBA as he is 32 years old.