LA Clippers: Patrick Beverley Season Preview and Outlook

We dive into the preview of the 2020-21 NBA season for the LA Clippers, starting with defensive point guard Patrick Beverley.

We are just a couple weeks away from LA Clippers basketball being back! In an effort to preview the season, let’s have a look at what we want to see from Patrick Beverley.

Our point guard plays a role on the team which far outweighs his statistical impact. Of course, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are the most important players for next season, but Patrick Beverley isn’t that far behind. How he performs will help inform how far the LA Clippers go next season.

LA Clippers: Patrick Beverley Preview – Things to Keep Doing Well

Let’s start with the positive. Patrick Beverley contributes all over the court for the LA Clippers, and I’m looking for him to keep doing that this year. I’ll begin with the most obvious: we need Pat to keep up his typically high level of defense.

Having a great defender at the point of attack helps the team, and Bev being on the floor allows for a defensive minus like Luke Kennard or Lou Williams to take over the offensive duties at the 2 guard.

On offense, Bev needs to keep spacing the floor. In the regular season last year, he shot 39% on threes, most of which were open spot up threes. Having a sniper playing alongside Kawhi and PG gives them a safety valve, and lets Kawhi play  that midrange post game he’s so fond of.

If he can keep up that sort of production on offense, he opens up the attack and keeps the defense honest. Look for Bev to provide elite level spot up shooting in this upcoming season.

One thing we need to keep an eye on is that this will be Beverley’s age 32 season, and he’s already faced knee surgeries in his career. At some point, the lateral quickness that helps him be a top level defender is going to go. But I don’t expect it to be this year, and his bulldog mentality will help him remain effective if he loses half a step physically.