NEWSLETTER
Patrick Beverley has confidence to spare.
The now-free-agent spoke about his brief time with the Chicago Bulls on a recent episode of the Pat Bev Podcast. Beverley went on to declare the team would have finished better if he was in town from the start. Like … a lot better.
“I honestly think, if I’m there from the beginning of the year, we’re the 4th or 5th seed,” Beverley said. “I’m going to be honest. When I was there, we lost three games at the buzzer. You’re talking about 17-6. I’ve understood with this team how to be but also [how to] get the best out of people.”
Look, there is absolutely no denying that Beverley lit a fuse inside the team’s locker room. Once he arrived, the team went 14-8 and held the NBA’s top-3 net rating. Not only did we see far better play from a motivated Zach LaVine, but Beverley’s aggressive perimeter defense and rebounding helped fill a hole that was originally created by Lonzo Ball’s absence.
The Bulls desperately needed a veteran presence to help hold folks accountable and keep the wheels in motion. To Beverley’s credit, he did that for the Bulls over his 25 games. But would he have had the same impact over a full 82?
I don’t know. Part of me thinks that Beverley’s influence had a lot to do with the timing of his arrival. The Bulls were just looking for any kind of spark, and his attitude proved to be the right fit at the right time. But it’s hard for me to make the jump that the Bulls would have avoided the obstacles they faced over a full season strictly because Beverley was there.
I mean, the Knicks finished in 5th place with 47 wins. Does Beverley really equate to SEVEN more victories for this Chicago team?
The Bulls would have shown us that they are a fundamentally flawed roster with or without Beverley this season. The issues behind the arc, the need for a true facilitator, the issues controlling the offensive glass … I think they’d all still shine through. Yes, Beverley helped a little bit in some of those categories. But I don’t think one role player – and I mean no disrespect to Beverley – can solve all these problems.
Hey, perhaps Beverley will get a chance to prove me wrong next year! The Bulls have the option to try to retain him. But he may have also priced himself way above their pay grade.
More on that here …
