Patrick Beverley has been very critical of the Lakers since he was traded from there in February and now he has taken aim at head coach Darvin Ham’s coaching style.
In the Lakers very first game of the 2022-23 season, Ham started Lonnie Walker IV, Beverley, Anthony Davis, LeBron James and Russell Westbrook.
This combination only lasted three games and then Westbrook was benched in favor of Austin Reaves, but Beverley thinks this was the wrong move.
“They should have started me Austin, Russ, LeBron, AD,” Beverley said on Gil’s Arena recently. “That should have been the starting lineup since we walked in the door.”
Let’s just think about that for a second.
A starting backcourt comprising of Russ and Pat Bev would be an absolute disaster shooting wise.
We all witnessed ‘Russell Westbrick’ for the Lakers before he was traded and Beverley only shot 40 percent from the field in his stints for the Bulls and LA last season. Yikes.
The guard went on to discuss the Lakers’ narrow loss to the Suns in preseason and even suggested that the Westbrook saga may not have even happened if Ham went with Beverley’s preferred lineup.
“I know we played Phoenix Suns in Vegas, we started that way, and we was up by 23 points,” Beverley said. “Talking about one of the teams that was just left in the Western Conference [playoffs], and all they guys played. But we didn’t go that way. Coach had different ideas. We started Lonnie Walker, and AD got hurt. One plus one is two.
“I love Lonnie,” Beverley said. “But I like Lonnie, on that team when we had, [as] a sixth man. Come in and be exactly who you are. … And then all the beef about Russell, maybe none of that happens.”
The 35-year-old must think his advice is pretty sound since he sees himself as a basketball coach in the future.
“I want to be a coach when I’m done,” Beverley said. “I love the game that much. And it’s ways that you have to operate your team without over-managing it or over-coaching it. Sometimes you just gotta put the dominoes out there.”
