NBA suspended Lakers’ point guard Patrick Beverley for three games

Patrick Beverley, the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, has been given a three-game NBA suspension, the league said in a statement. Therefore, Pat Bev will be absent from both Friday’s and Saturday’s back-to-back games against the Spurs and next week’s game against the Indiana Pacers.

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Beverley admitted after the game that he regretted the apparent cheap shot foul he committed on Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton and predicted that he would receive some punishment.

After the game, the 6’1″ veteran guard stated that he took issue with the Phoenix big man for hovering over Lakers guard Austin Reaves. He, who had been lobbed to the ground by All-Star Suns shooting guard Devin Booker when the two competed for a rebound late in an overall 115-105 Lakers loss. While Ayton stood over Reaves, Beverly charged at him head-on and knocked the big man to the ground.

In its press release, the league stated that Beverley’s past behavior over the years had a role in its choice to impose a ban rather than a straightforward punishment. Two years earlier, when he was still a member of the L.A. Clippers, he executed a relatively similar behind-the-back shove move against the Suns. Clippers in the 2021 Western Conference Finals, even though Chris Paul was the opponent.

I’m not the first to make this statement, but this situation might be advantageous for an L.A. club that probably would profit from Patrick Beverley playing less frequently. Before the start of the season, I had great expectations for the three-time All-Defensive Team member, who the Lakers acquired intending to replace Russell Westbrook on the team eventually.

Even though Beverley has replaced Russ as the team’s primary lead guard, her output has plummeted, whereas Westbrook has flourished since being pushed to the bench. The most memorable play Beverley made all season on a basketball court was that shove. In a generous 27.4 minutes each night, he averages a career-worst 4.1 points per game on a career-worst 26.6% field goal rate. Beverley’s position in the team’s rotation may be questioned if he can no longer generate offensive firepower.

Pat Bev doesn’t seem to be a favorite with Lakers supporters this season.

One wonders whether head coach Darvin Ham will start Reaves or Dennis Schröder as point guard since Beverley cannot play. Reaves had replaced Lonnie Walker as the starting shooting guard since LeBron James was injured, and Reaves had previously started as shooting guard. Although James might be back as soon as tomorrow, perhaps Reaves won’t need to be demoted immediately.

Reaves appears to be the more intriguing and reliable two-way player at this point in their respective careers than Schröder. Still, Schröder is a proud veteran and may be hoping for the nod despite having been entirely unpredictable in his three games back in the lineup following a preseason UCL surgery.