Atlanta Hawks: 6 Veteran Players to Consider in Free Agency
By Chris Guest
Patrick Beverley
Though a hated villain in many cities – notably Oklahoma City, where his running for a loose ball ended Russell Westbrook’s season in the 2013 Playoffs – Patrick Beverley would make for an exceptional fit on the Atlanta Hawks next season.
An unrestricted free agent, Beverley is coming off a terrific season with the LA Clippers in which he served as an emotional leader for the team and tone-setter on defense. Though the Atlanta Hawks already have their point guard of the future in Trae Young, Beverley would be a premier option at backup point guard coming off the bench to clamp down on the opposing team’s best perimeter player.
In the Playoffs, Beverley has guarded Kevin Durant very effectively, almost taking him out of the Clips/Warriors series in Game 2:
Beyond that, Beverley is a two-time All-Defensive Team member (one second team, one first team), and he has a career steal rate of 2.1 percent.
This year, Beverley’s block rate of 0.9 percent was in the 88th percentile among point guards per Cleaning the Glass. He also grades out in the upper 80s of percentiles in offensive and defensive rebounding for guards.
Beverley is your consummate energy guy that focuses on defense but can also hit an open corner three when the need arises and he would make for a perfect fit on the Atlanta Hawks.