Patrick Beverley decided to stop being a role player in the NBA and be a star for Hapoel Tel Aviv by signing with the Israeli team this summer. Beverley has finally revealed what made him make the switch after a 12-year NBA career where he had established himself as a 3-and-D role-player on contending teams.
"This is what people don't understand, I get to play basketball. I used to put the ball in the hole, right? In my European career, I was MVP of the same league I'm going back to. Obviously, you get to the NBA and have to play different roles, but now I go back to a role where it's seven seconds to go, give me the ball, and watch me rock. Isolation step back, I get to hoop."
Beverley revealed how he realized he wanted to play in a star role during the 2024 Playoffs with the Bucks, knowing that he wouldn't get that opportunity in the NBA.
"I played a great role, I had a phenomenal NBA career while I was in the league. I don't wanna stand in the corner. I played with the Bucks, we win Game 5, ball in my hand, double-double. But in Game 6, we get a little healthy and the ball's out of my hands. Not because I did anything wrong but because it's hierarchy."
Beverley averaged 6.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.9 assists last season. He was a solid role player for both the 76ers and Bucks but had fallen into a trend where he was playing for two teams almost every season since the Clippers let him go in 2021.
In the three seasons since, Beverley has played for the Timberwolves, Lakers, Bulls, 76ers, and Bucks, not lasting for more than half a season on any of those teams.
He likely would have piqued the interest of teams around the NBA looking for an end-of-rotation guard, but it's clear that Beverley didn't want that for himself. He gets to return to the league where he won EuroCup MVP in 2012 and hopefully end his career as a big fish in a small pond.
Patrick Beverley Had A Memorable NBA Career
Beverley is an example of how players need to adjust their roles in order to become valuable NBA players. Patrick Beverley was an electric guard during his high school days in Chicago, leading the state in scoring in 2007 by averaging over 33 points in his senior year.
His NBA stock was severely hampered by academic issues in his junior year of college at Arkansas. Beverley had an 'academic integrity' issue that took away his eligibility for college basketball. He made his way to Europe to hone his skills as a player in 2008.
Beverley was getting NBA training camp invites from teams like the Heat in the coming years but didn't get a contract until 2012 when the Houston Rockets came calling. He would get traded to the Clippers when the Rockets would trade for Chris Paul in 2017, with Beverley becoming a fan favorite in Los Angeles.
The guard played a huge role in the Clippers' shocking 2019 Playoff run and stayed on the roster when major additions such as Paul George and Kawhi Leonard made their way onto the team that summer. Unfortunately, he wouldn't stay on the team much longer, getting traded to the Timberwolves after the 2021 Playoffs.
Beverley has been a journeyman since, playing for five NBA teams in three seasons. This is the perfect time to move on, as Beverley's NBA days are numbered anyway. He averaged 8.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 3.4 assists over his NBA career, making three All-Defensive Teams over his 12-year stint in the NBA.
Related: Patrick Beverley Thinks Kawhi Leonard Is The Hardest Working Player He's Played With: "That's Why He Be Hurt"
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