Patrick Beverley looks like a completely different player overseas
By Will Eudy
The LA Clippers have had plenty of meaningful and memorable role players since the arrival of Kawhi Leonard. Being in a constant state of contention means that supporting players have constantly been in and out of the doors at the Clippers' facilities. Perhaps none of these role players have left a more lasting impression in the minds of fans than Patrick Beverley.
Known for the entirety of his NBA career as a hard-nosed perimeter defender, Pat Bev made a name for himself out of frustrating opposing guards and making life difficult for them. His hardworking mentality and presence as a locker room leader made him into one of the most valuable veterans in the NBA.
If you want proof of Pat's impact outside of his Clippers career, just look at what he did for the Timberwolves during the 2021-22 season. Taurean Prince recently said that Beverley "set the foundation" for that team's current level of success with his leadership. Clippers fans were sad to lose him, and now the NBA as a whole will be missing him in the upcoming season.
Pat Bev showed off his skill at practice with Israeli team
As many are now aware, Pat Bev opted not to take one of several NBA offers on the table for the 2024-25 season. Instead, he agreed to a deal with Hapoel Tel Aviv BC of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. Beverley will be continuing his basketball career outside of the United States.
We already saw Pat explain how training camp in Bulgaria has been going with his new team thus far. Now, we have additional video wherein Beverley is showcasing his skill at a practice with the team. By the look of it, Pat is having no trouble putting his repertoire to good use.
The video shows Beverley crossing up and scoring on defenders, pulling up to shoot and taking the ball to the cup. The highlights were just about as versatile offensively as we have seen him look on the hardwood.
Seeing him look this refined is not a big surprise considering the talent differential between the United States and Europe. There are still plenty of talented players overseas, but the NBA remains the world's best league. It is not uncommon to see a role player from the US go play overseas and become a more complete and useful overall piece to a team.