A quick look at why the Atlanta Hawks should sign Patrick Beverley in free agency this offseason.
The LA Clippers fought hard in the team’s Western Conference first round series but, in the end, they were unable to stop the inescapable march of the Golden State Warriors to a likely third straight championship.
Now, the Clips head into what will likely be one of its important offseasons in team history with their sights set on big-name free agents (Kawhi Leonard) or trade targets (Anthony Davis). However, there is one extremely important leader for the team who is a free agent this offseason: Diminutive point guard Patrick Beverley.
Beverley acquitted himself well in the playoffs, even offering up his services as the primary defender on Kevin Durant – a herculean task to be sure. Though PatBev has made it clear that he would like to return to this scrappy Clips squad, could the Atlanta Hawks be a dark horse contender for his services?
Beverley is indeed a terrific defender, which is something the Hawks desperately need in the backcourt, and Beverley is also one of those rare players that doesn’t the need the ball in his hands very much – allowing the offensive fulcrum of the Atlanta Hawks, Trae Young, to do the majority of the ballhandling.
Beverley’s advanced stats convey how effective he was for the Clips last season. On a minuscule 14 percent usage rate (in the 3rd percentile among guards per Cleaning the Glass), when Beverley was on the court, the Clips produced their second-highest point differential of +6.6 points per 100 possessions. PatBev played 2096 minutes as well, which was second on the team.
Beyond his team impact, Beverley produced excellent stats in ESPN’s real plus/minus metric. Among point guards, Beverley was 6th in defensive RPM at 1.36. However, he was also a clear positive on the offensive end with a 1.35 offensive RPM – making him a top 10 point guard in ESPN’s metric.
Due to his ability to be an on-bell pest of a defender as well as a cagey and always-moving help defender combined with his low-usage, mistake-free offensive play that relies on his steady, capable three-point shooting, Patrick Beverley could be the panacea in the backcourt that the Atlanta Hawks need to improve on both ends.
Though 30 years old, the Hawks really made strides to end the season and the addition of a rock-steady veteran like PatBev, who has been known to “play the villain” sometimes would be a welcome sight on the Atlanta Hawks.