76ers: What Helped Spark Patrick Beverley's Offensive Uptick?
Patrick Beverley’s role in the Philadelphia 76ers’ rotation was never in question throughout the opening stretch of the 2023-2024 NBA season. Yet, the veteran’s struggles from the field was a hot topic in Philadelphia, as he struggled to consistently produce in the scoring department.
Through the first 16 games of the season, Beverley averaged 16 minutes of playing time off the Sixers’ bench. Although Beverley was far from a high-volume shooter, he lacked in the efficiency department as he knocked down just 34 percent of his shots from the field during that stretch. And from three, Beverley made just three three-pointers through the first month of action.
Beverley’s energy, vocal leadership, and defensive value were too important for Sixers head coach Nick Nurse to consider chopping his minutes down. Knowing that Beverley just needed to get settled in and find comfort within the system on the offensive end of the floor, it would only be a matter of time before Beverley unlocked the other areas of his game.
“I think Pat Bev’s mindset is he’s going to do what he thinks he needs to do to help the team win on any given night,” Nick Nurse explained last week. “Sometimes, that may mean taking one shot.”
During his first 16-game stretch in a Sixers uniform, Beverley attempted just 2.8 field goals per outing. In the November 27 matchup against his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, Beverley attempted more than six shots in a single outing for the first time this year. Going 4-9 from the field, Beverley produced a season-high at the time with 12 points.
From then on, Beverley averaged eight shots per game leading up to the Monday night matchup against the Washington Wizards.
“He’s an opportunity scorer that just wants to win,” Nurse added. “When the opportunities present themselves, we want him to have confidence.”
Beverley’s never one to lack confidence in his game, but Nurse shared a reminder with the 35-year-old backup point guard, encouraging him to keep the defense honest by letting shots fly.
“I said to him, ‘Pat, you’re a really good shooter, man, like don’t let them disrespect you. You got to step into all those and take them.’” Nurse revealed.
The response?
“He was like, ‘Got ya.’“
“That’s probably a little bit of the uptick as well,” the head coach finished. “Don’t want him to play like he’s not supposed to shoot unless it’s absolutely the end of the shot clock or whatever. Don’t want anybody playing like that.”
With an increased shooting volume, Beverley has successfully knocked down 51 percent of his shots from the field and 41 percent of his threes over the previous five games. The sample size remains small from Beverley, but Nurse and the Sixers are confident the veteran point guard will only continue to drive his value up as he’s been executing much better on the offensive end of the floor.
