Lakers News: Is Patrick Beverley Toast?
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Patrick Beverley, nominally a 3-and-D defender who seems to have misplaced the "3" side of that equation, is the team's current starting point guard when healthy. He's grappling with a non-COVID-19 illness at present and will miss his second straight game for Los Angeles, a probable defeat to the Utah Jazz, tonight.
The 6'1" veteran point guard was the centerpiece of L.A.'s big summer trade. The club flipped shooting guard Talen Horton-Tucker and forward Stanley Johnson in exchange for the expiring $13 million contract of Pat Bev. It seemed at the time like he was destined to eventually replace Russell Westbrook in the club's lineup, ahead of a potential Westbrook trade.
Unfortunately, the 34-year-old out of the University of Arkansas has been such a non-entity on offense this season that one wonders if head coach Darvin Ham may eventually replace him in the team's starting lineup.
Across eight contests for Los Angeles thus far, Beverley is averaging 4.6 points on an abysmal .303/.227/1.000 shooting thus far, 4.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals. His defense has been solid, but if he's even more of a minus on offense than that of his predecessor at the starting lead guard spot had been, is the juice worth the squeeze?
So where else could Los Angeles turn?
When Kendrick Nunn was elevated to the starting gig yesterday, he looked pretty awful across the 18 minutes he saw the floor. Dennis Schröder is recovering from a UCL surgery on his thumb, but could get a crack at the position at some point. He's not a great long-range shooter, and is more of a score-first point guard than a table-setter, but L.A. could sure use some offensive pizzazz. Austin Reaves, who's been shooting well from three this year and is a solid passer and defender, could be an interesting option.
