Patrick Beverley has been a regular in the playoffs since his NBA career began in 2012. Although in 2015 he missed the appointment due to a wrist injury and in 2018 the Los Angeles Clippers did not seal his qualification – an edition in which he could not having participated when recovering from meniscus surgery -, the guard He has been present at every appointment when health has accompanied him.
However, this streak it runs the risk of breaking. Beverley has had a busy summer in terms of operations. He was first sent to Memphis in a trade in which Eric Bledsoe was the main asset. He would finally end up in Minnesota in an operation in which the Grizzlies received Juancho Hernángomez and Jarret Culver. This context does not ensure the level of competitiveness that the player did enjoy in his previous teams, as the Timberwolves have only managed to qualify once for the playoffs since 2005.
However, Beverley’s goal is to fight for this level and contribute to the construction of a solid collective identity. “My main goal is to see how focused we can be every night consistently, during the preseason and the season and, with it, know if we are doing the right thing to play the playoffs,” said the player according to the Star Tribune media. “Basketball is basketball. That won’t change, but everything else in between can be controlled to put you in the position you need to win a lot of games. “
Team president Gersson Rosas sees Beverley as a player capable of “transforming the entire defense,” emerging as a top priority after the Timberwolves recorded the third-worst defense in the NBA last season.
Still, the Minnesota franchise will be held accountable in a Western Conference packed with talent and teams capable of competing for a playoff spot. In addition, as soon as his arrival at the Timberwolves was finalized, rumors arose of potential interest from the Los Angeles Lakers in the event that a buyout. Beverley has a final year of contract worth $ 14.3 million left.
(Cover photo by Harry How / Getty Images)