Coming into the league as an undersized guard, Patrick Beverley quickly made a name for himself as a defensive menace. His job was to defend the smaller guards owing to his size. Unfortunately for him, he has had to face some of the shiftiest, quickest players on the planet. From Steph Curry to Chris Paul, Beverley’s defensive assignments were a nightmare for every defender in the league. But despite facing all these legends, each equipped with his own offensive weapons, Pat confessed to streamer N3on Russell Westbrook was the toughest player he ever had to guard.
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Beverley and Westbrook were not friends early in their careers. The battles between his Rockets and the former MVP’s OKC were legendary during their peak, and both guards had their moments, though Westbrook had considerably more. However, being a defensive specialist, Beverley knew exactly what made Russ dangerous to guard, and he elaborated on this on N3on’s stream.
He explained how Westbrook’s immense basketball IQ made him a nightmare matchup. Blessed with a lightning-quick first step and explosiveness, Westbrook would, according to PatBev, change his approach on offense according to his primary defender. In cases he had a smaller player on him, like Beverley, he’d pick spots and post them up. If he had a larger player on him, he’d utilize his speed to its full extent.
“So Russ was hard. He was hard to guard because he’s a very intelligent basketball player, he don’t get a lot of credit for that,” Beverley said. “So Russ knows what type of weaknesses that the other defender has. If you’re too small, he’s gonna post you. If you’re too tall, he’s gonna use his quickness.”
Pat said Russ was the hardest player to guard in the league 👀 pic.twitter.com/iUbngKwjy7
— Davidwebber (@Russ4presi) December 23, 2024
Beverley and Westbrook’s rivalry continued till the two shared a locker room in LA and their decade-long beef was squashed almost immediately. The duo became very close in the one year they played together, and to this day, Beverley considers Westbrook a dear friend.
How PatBev and Russ squashed their beef
Beverley revealed on an August episode of the ‘OGs Podcast’ that despite their rivalry, it was actually Westbrook who made the first attempt to bury the hatchet. After he’d just been traded to the Lakers, Westbrook made a deliberate attempt to reconcile with the Chicago native, and according to Beverley, he didn’t need to say anything to him.
He claimed Westbrook understood how actions speak louder than words, and his first appearance at Beverley’s press interview was essentially the 2017 MVP extending an olive branch. “I do my little press interview, Russ right there,” Beverley said. “He didn’t have to be there. It’s Russell Westbrook. MVP, Mr. Triple Double himself. He ain’t gotta be there. Off that right there, ‘Okay cool. Let me humble myself. What’s up? Let’s lock in, gang. What we gotta do?’ … It wasn’t words, it was just actions for Russ.”
For Beverley, who’s all about action, that was the move that ended their decade-long beef. He revealed he and Russ remained close for the entirety of the season, and even after their Lakers careers ended, the two stayed in touch.
