Patrick Beverley Gives Wild Take on Former Lakers Guard Russell Westbrook

Ricardo Sandoval | Dec 1, 2024

Jan 2, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley (22) moves the ball as center Naz Reid (11) provides coverage against Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverly has been one of the more polarizing players in the NBA.

Beverly made a name for himself as a member of the Houston Rockets in the mid-2010s as a defensive specialist and established himself as one of the more nagging defenders we have seen.

Some say he is more talk than play, but Beverly was certainly an intimidating figure. It is unlikely that he will get another crack at the NBA, but he has dug his toes into the podcasting world.

Beverly has had a ton of interesting and questionable things said on the podcast, and that is no different in this case. In one of his latest episodes, he had some high rise for former Lakers point guard and future Hall of Famer Russell Westbrook.

Beverly said Westbrook is one of the greatest point guards ever to play the game.

"Point guard position, we're going off skill-based. We're going off talent. We're going off numbers. This is an individual award. I mean, you have to put him up there as the greatest point guard to ever play the game," said Beverly.

"No one will catch Russ. Magic Johnson shoot back up. He still wouldn't catch Russ. There is no one that's ever done that."

"I think he's on the Mount Rushmore point guards. 200 triple-doubles for a point guard going to be very hard for a player to reach that." 

“You have to put him up there as the greatest point guard to ever play the game.”

- Pat Bev on Russell Westbrook

(🎥 @PatBevPod ) pic.twitter.com/43I2sFe5cR

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 27, 2024

Westbrook may have received a lot of slack in the past few years due to his play style and inability to keep up with the game's trajectory in terms of shooting. Still, there is no denying his impact on the game and how he's revolutionized the point guard position.

Westbrook may be polarizing, but he is among the greatest point guards of all time. His resume speaks for itself: He was named the 2017 NBA MVP, a nine-time All-Star, a nine-time All-NBA, a two-time scoring champion, a three-time NBA assist leader, and a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

During Westbrook's prime, there was no denying his greatness. Many have devalued his ability to collect triple-doubles after triple-doubles. Still, he is the only one on par with or has surpassed the great Oscar Robertson in that category.

Westbrook is widely known for playing at a high level of intensity and for maintaining that intensity for the majority of his playing time. No matter what else he does or doesn't do, there is no denying his place in the Hall of Fame and as one of the greatest point guards of all time.

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