When the NBA Trade Deadline comes, two names come into mind Shams Charania and Adrian Wojnarowski. This year, Patrick Beverley was the one to announce that he was moving from the Philadelphia 76ers and heading to the Milwaukee Bucks. The move raised some eyebrows given his beef with Damian Lillard and his uncertain fit with Giannis Antetokounmpo. But, Doc Rivers cleared the air as to why they chose him, via Gabe Stoltz of SB Nation.
“He’s a very, very high IQ player, especially defensively and even offensively with his movement and setting picks. He’s also an instigator, a big talker defensively. I’m not meaning about talking trash, meaning he talks on defense and I think those are some of the things we need,” the Bucks head honcho declared.
With Patrick Beverley’s help on defense, the 76ers managed to get an 11th-best 113.7 defensive rating. His move might be largely because the Bucks need depth with their perimeter defenders. Currently, the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led squad is the 20th-ranked defense in the league with a 116.7 rating. Hopefully, Beverley improves their ability to guard long to mid-range shots.
However, there are other reasons why the Bucks acquired the pesky defender on their team. Doc Rivers noted that Beverley’s spirit is unlike any other in the league. This helps in building team chemistry and keeping morale up whenever they experience slumps and keeps the momentum going during hot streaks. He posits that the Bucks could use some of that on their squad.
“At times, he has great defensive nights. At times, he overdoes it and those are the nights where he and I know we have to talk. I’ve coached him before. But, he’s a good spirit for your team and one of the most competitive players I’ve ever coached. And, people like that, it’s contagious. I think that’s good for our team,” he concluded.
At first glance, one would think this NBA Trade Deadline move was a head-scratcher for the Bucks. Now, they get to have a person who thrives on defense but also contributes greatly in terms of intangibles down the stretch. This definitely moves the needle in their favor.
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