Ball Around

Former NBA Guard Patrick Beverley Makes Bold Russell Westbrook Claim

Matt Levine

Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The NBA has seen plenty of talented players come and go over the years, making it one of the best sporting leagues in the world. The pure talent that some of the players have had is special and has made basketball a household sport.

One of the more dominant players in recent memory has been point guard Russell Westbrook. While Westbrook has become more of a controversial figure around the NBA of late due to his declining play, his prime was as dominant as many others in NBA history.

Westbrook was a menace on the court, flying around at all times. His high-energy levels were electric to watch and his teammates tended to feed off him throughout games.

While Westbrook has not yet won a title, he is seen as one of the best point guards of all time. This is rare air to be included in but speaks to his level of talent.

Former NBA guard and teammate of Westbrook, Patrick Beverley, recently commented on the nine-time All-Star. Beverley said that Westbrook was the hardest player that he has ever had to guard.

"Russ was hard," Beverley said. "He was hard to guard because he's a very intelligent basketball player. He don't get a lot of credit for this. So, Russ knows what type of weaknesses that the other defender has. If you're too small, he's going to post you. If you're too tall, he's gonna use his quickness."

This is certainly high praise for Beverley, especially considering that he and Westbrook had a long beef throughout their careers. But it simply shows the respect level that other players have for Westbrook over the years.

Beverley has played against some of the best to ever do it and his singling out Westbrook in this manner speaks volumes. Westbrook's explosiveness was his biggest strength and he used it to his advantage at all times on the floor.

In recent years, he has lost some of the athleticism that made him great and it has led to some issues for him. But this season, Westbrook has bought into being a role player for the Denver Nuggets and it has worked out well for him so far.

The former league MVP has a great chance to win his first title with Denver and he has been a complete team player. The NBA world would love to see Westbrook hoist up the trophy at the end of the season but we have a long way until that is all decided.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

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