Lakers News: Patrick Beverley Would Be Happy To Shove Deandre Ayton All Over Again
In a 115-105 road loss to the Phoenix Suns last week, Los Angeles Lakers starting point guard Patrick Beverley made headlines (at least on some parts of the web) when he shoved Suns starting center Deandre Ayton in the back, for the crime of standing over Lakers guard Austin Reaves (who had been fouled by Suns All-Star shooting guard Devin Booker) during a temporary stoppage in play. Beverley was eventually suspended for three games by the NBA, given that shoving Suns players from behind has become something of a pattern for the disappointing Lakers guard.
Wearing a "Free Pat Bev" T-shirt as if he were some kind of political prisoner, Beverley spoke with co-host Adam "Rone" Ferrone during a special "emergency episode" of his Pat Bev Podcast via Barstool Sports.
"It felt like it happened slow, right? It kicked off... when we do the tip ball, I shake everybody's hand, I put my hand for Deandre Ayton's hand, and he [doesn't] shake my hand. So something was brewing there from the beginning. If we [were] to fast forward it, I see the Austin Reaves play, from my angle, gets hit in the nose. So I see a Phoenix Suns guy [Devin Booker] slaps the ball, stands over him. And I'm like, 'No, we ain't having that s***.'"
Booker then moved aside and Ayton, with the ball in his hands, stood over a writhing Reaves.
"I give him a little body check... AR was laying on the ground so the bump really threw [Ayton] off-balance, he tripped over AR, but I'm fortunate as f***. F*** him, [we're] not going for that s***. As people who've played with me, ask superstars who've played with me. It's the reason guys want me on their team, you know after they heard about the trade this summer. Very unfortunate situation. If I could play it back again, I would do the exact same thing."
Here's the full episode, if you really want to subject yourself to Beverley's defense of this behavior further:
As a reminder, this is the dirty hard foul Beverley says he would be happy to reprise:
Maybe this kind of stuff was copacetic in 1992, but in 2022 it's really not a basketball play to serve as essentially a hockey enforcer for your team and very potentially injure another player.
The University of Arkansas product sure isn't contributing much to the Lakers' scoring (he's averaging 4.1 points while shooting .266/.238/.824), but has been a decent defender at least.
