Hapoel Tel Aviv's Patrick Beverley Gives Shocking Take About Best Point Guard in NBA History

The Hapoel Tel Aviv point guard has an interesting opinion regarding the GOAT of his position.

May 2, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley (21) shoots the ball while Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam (43) defends during game six of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Hapoel Tel Aviv point guard Patrick Beverley recently offered up a wild take regarding the all-time best player at his position.

After Beverley's former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Russell Westbrook recorded his NBA-best 200th career triple-double off the bench for the Denver Nuggets recently, Beverley took to his Barstool Sports show "The Pat Bev Podcast With Rone" to make a bold proclamation.

Is Russell Westbrook up there with the best PGs to every play the game? 🏀 pic.twitter.com/1uIf9XKqzo

— Pat Bev Pod (@PatBevPod) November 27, 2024

"I think we gotta talk about it. Point guard position, we're going off skill-based, right? 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," Beverley said. When his co-host Adam Ferrone submitted Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry and former Utah Jazz Hall of Famer John Stockton as potential counters, Beverley countered. "We're not talking about championships. Individual statistics, that's all I'm talking about. What makes you better than the next person? Championships don't... That don't make you better than the next person."

Westbrook was almost irrefutably a detriment to his own teams winning championships. Surely that has to count against him, no? He shot the ball more than Kevin Durant, one of the greatest shooters ever, on the Oklahoma City Thunder. He frequently took the ball out of Durant or James Harden's hands late in games, burning possessions with questionable late-game jumpers. He had the athleticism to be an elite defensive point guard a la Stockton and Isiah Thomas, but he never consistently put things together on that end of the court. In his prime, Durant abandoned him as a free agent because he thought he could win more titles alongside Curry — and together they promptly went to three straight NBA Finals, winning two. While still an All-Star, Westbrook played for three different franchises across a three-year span.

The 6-foot-3 UCLA product was a league MVP, a nine-time All-Star, and a statistical super-freak. In his prime, he was a top-10 talent in the league. But his teams never got over the championship hump in part because of some of his performance issues in the postseason.

"No one would catch Russ [in triple-doubles]. Magic Johnson shoot back up, he still wouldn't catch Russ... in triple-doubles. ...And then somebody out the back would yell out, s---, you motherf---ers can't forget Oscar Robinson," Beverley said. "All of a sudden, a motherf---er get 200 triple-doubles, average triple-doubles for almost two-and-a-half years, and no one even speaks about."

"With the utmost respect to Brodie [Westbrook], I think I have to have those three people you mentioned above him: Stockton, Steph Curry, Magic Johnson," Ferrone said, omitting Robertson and Thomas. Chris Paul, Bob Cousy, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Gary Payton, and Kyrie Irving also could all have a claim at being among the five best point guards ever, potentially ahead of Westbrook. Jerry West, Allen Iverson and Walt Frazier played both guard positions, so they could ostensibly be omitted from this list on those grounds — but if they were included, they'd also rank among the best point guards ever.

A three-time All-Defensive Teamer, the 6-foot-2 Arkansas product enjoyed 12 seasons in the NBA, from 2012-24. During his tenure with the Houston Rockets, L.A. Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, Chicago Bulls, Philadelphia 76ers and Milwaukee Bucks, Beverley appeared in 666 regular season games (518 starts), averaging 8.3 points on .413/.371/.760 shooting splits, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.5 blocks a night. He finished his career (for now) within the top 20 in vote recipients for Defensive Player of the Year while with the Rockets and Clippers, and thrice among the top 10.

Beverley, 36, opted to continue his pro career abroad, signing with EuroCup squad Hapoel Tel Aviv this fall.

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