Defense and attitude: Why the acquisition of Patrick Beverley is a good fit for the Bucks
The locker rooms across Denver, Portland, Salt Lake City and Phoenix were quiet, but positivity hung in the air as the Milwaukee Bucks exited each of those cities with losses.
Head coach Doc Rivers had shortened the rotation to nine players, even in games that Brook Lopez and Damian Lillard missed, and one Khris Middleton exited early from with injury. In his first week on the bench Rivers wanted to find out not only who could play but who could defend.
And while the Bucks went 1-4, they allowed 117.2 points per game and had a defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 115.8. Why is that significant? It meant the Bucks were No. 15 in the league in defense in the last week – a near meteoric rise from a painful January (No. 22, 118.5 rating).
They’re getting better.
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But even with that promise, there was still a glaring issue – the team lacked a stout point-of-attack defender in the backcourt to pair with either Lillard or Malik Beasley. By trading Jrue Holiday and losing Jevon Carter and Wesley Matthews in free agency in the offseason, the Bucks had been without that presence on the perimeter all season.
Though Bucks head coach Doc Rivers could not comment on a specific player during his pregame press conference on Thursday, he did address what a strong defender at the guard spot could bring his team.
"It can bring a lot (to the defense)," he said. "A guy that talks on defense, a physical defender, takes a lot of charges. I guess saying that 'instigator' would be an understatement, you know, but all those things would be something we would favor."
Heading into Thursday’s game against Minnesota, the Bucks had seen an opposing guard score 30 or more points on 25 occasions.
Which is why the Bucks' acquisition of Patrick Beverley in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday makes sense on so many levels.
The 35-year-old may not be able to play the roughly 29 minutes per regular-season game he averaged from 2014-21 when he made three all-defensive teams, but he gives the Bucks that strong defensive presence – and attitude – to begin to slow down an opposing offense.
With Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo leading a back line that also includes a healthy Jae Crowder, Beverley’s addition up top should help the Bucks continue to build on the defensive foundation they’ve begun to lay in Rivers’ short tenure.
In a livestream of the trade, Beverley said he felt his former coaches in Rivers and new Bucks assistant Rex Kalamian will put him in positions to succeed on that end of the court, also, as he adjusts to his fifth team in the last three seasons.
Though not a “huge” defender at 6 foot 2, he weighs 180 pounds and has a 6-7 wingspan. His 2.1 deflections per game would rank third on the Bucks, behind Antetokounmpo and Lillard. Beverley’s 1.9 contested two-point shots per game would rank fourth, behind Lopez, Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis. Beverley’s 2.4 contested three-pointers per game would rank second behind Antetokounmpo.
This while playing fewer than 20 minutes per game. The Bucks clearly could use more of that kind of activity and effectiveness.
More: Khris Middleton leaves Bucks game against Suns with left ankle injury
Patrick Beverley’s attitude just as important
Beverley, a Chicago native, was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the 2009 draft out of Arkansas, but he didn’t make his NBA debut until he signed in Houston in 2012. He immediately made himself known as a defender, as he was named to his first all-defensive team in 2014.
It was the first of three selections to that team for Beverley, the last being in 2020, when he was coached by Rivers and Kalamian with the Clippers.
But it’s not just his credentials and physical ability the Bucks need – they need the attitude, the swagger Beverley brings. He acknowledged some of that immediately after the trade, noting his on-court and social media history with Lillard would need to be smoothed over in the common goal of pursuing a title.
Beverley is going to talk, and he’s going to be physical and bring an edge the Bucks have lacked all season.
The comparisons to P.J. Tucker’s arrival in 2021 are going to be inevitable, of course. But it’s fair to say the Bucks have lacked that antagonistic, unsettling aura Tucker’s bravado helped create once he went nose-to-nose with Kevin Durant in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
In Rivers’ opening press conference on Jan. 27, he noted that if teams are going to “Fear the Deer,” they actually have to, well, fear the team in some capacity. And while NBA players aren’t really “scared” per se, there definitely has been an ease to which opponents have been able to get the job done offensively.
The bet is Beverley will help curb that.
Robin Lopez trade gives team roster flexibility
The Bucks have carried 15 guaranteed contracts – the maximum allowed – all season. But now one of those spots is open as they traded backup center Robin Lopez to Sacramento. This was not a cost-saving measure, as the accountants still have the Bucks as a “second apron” team due to Middleton’s incentive packages (all incentives must be calculated as if they will be earned. The actual salary for each team is determined once they are done playing).
By opening that spot, the Bucks can survey the buyout market to see if a free agent can further bolster their depth. There is a catch, however, as that player cannot have made $12.4 million or more with his previous team.
The Bucks have signed Marvin Williams (2020) and Jevon Carter and DeAndre’ Bembry (2022) in the buyout market since Jon Horst took over as general manager.
Williams averaged 17.9 minutes per game and shot 43% from behind the three-point line in 10 playoff games in the “bubble” in 2020. Bembry’s season ended early with a knee injury, while Carter averaged 11.5 minutes per game and was 3-for-7 over 11 games of the 2022 playoffs.
The Bucks could still use some ball-handling help, though Beverley is a point guard by trade. And, of course, teams are always looking for players who can shoot three-pointers. In the buyout market, the Bucks will have to compete with other teams looking to make similar signings.
In the end, the Beverley acquisition and whatever additional signing the Bucks decide on may not make or break their championship hopes – Lillard and Rivers will ultimately have the biggest say in if the Larry O’Brien Trophy is hoisted – but fortifying a roster by filling a glaring need will only help.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Why the acquisition of Patrick Beverley is a good fit for the Bucks
