Patrick Beverley is notorious for his rough fouls, beef with superstars, boastful attitude, and attempts to instigate opponents during games. However, he’s terrific on the defensive end and his pesky playstyle often leaves the game’s best players in flux. He’s usually tasked with guarding Stephen Curry and Luka Doncic whenever his team faces them, and he claimed he has an easier time facing the Warriors icon.
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On a recent episode of The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone, Beverley spoke about the toughest assignments he has been handed and revealed that Doncic was harder to guard than the two-time MVP. He explained that the size disparity between him and guards as tall and strong as the Dallas Mavericks superstar is difficult to overcome. The veteran said,
“For me, it’s the Luka’s. The guy who plays point guard but they 6’8. Them the guys who give me problems. If I’m running Steph, I’m okay, cool. I’m top-blocking everything. You got to have 12 layups, that’s all I’m thinking about in my head. You want your 26?”
Beverley broke down his approach towards guarding smaller guards like Curry. He explained that he tries to get in their face to ensure they don’t get too many opportunities to shoot three-pointers on him. He added that he positions himself to leave them with no choice but to attack the rim. The former Clippers star said,
“You might hit a couple of threes. You gotta get 11 layups bro. F**k that, you gotta beat me that way…Like, my defense ain’t(imitates close-up coverage). You ain’t gonna touch the ball. Yeah, I might be tired but that ain’t hard… You just face-guard him.”
Beverley prefers guarding players similar in size and stature like Curry, Damian Lillard, and Trae Young, and is confident that he’d do well against them. However, the likes of Doncic, Ben Simmons, or even LeBron James, who play as primary ball-handlers but could easily play as forwards are a matchup nightmare.
Beverley may be able to stop them from getting clean looks from beyond the arc but cannot outmuscle them if they try to get to the rim. That leaves him with no other option but to foul them. This wasn’t the first time the veteran forward has admitted that the Mavericks superstar is difficult to contain.
Pat Bev on how to slow down Doncic
In an interview with ESPN in 2022, Beverley claimed that no player in the NBA has the defensive chops to stop Doncic one-on-one. He noted that it’d take a collective effort to slow down the Slovenian sensation. He said,
“It’s not one person who can slow down Luka. We’ve seen it over and over. It’s gonna be a team effort.”
The former Clippers star claimed that crowding the paint is one of the best ways of frustrating Doncic. While that would leave shooters open, this defensive approach takes the ball out of his hands, forcing his teammates to shoulder the responsibility of beating the opponents.
Beverley admitting that it’d take an army to stop Doncic is perhaps the best compliment the veteran guard has ever given to any player in the league.
