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Doc Rivers Shares Excitement For “Contagious” Patrick Beverley, Reveals 1 Major Concern With Newest Bucks Star

Published 02/08/2024, 11:25 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

The Milwaukee Bucks, after searching far and wide for defensive help, manage to land one of the best ones in the league. Patrick Beverley once again joins Coach Rivers from his Clippers days. Having fired Adrian Griffin mid-season and getting Doc, the Bucks were serious about fortifying their squad from all sides.

Rivers, who has previous experience in training the explosive veteran guard, seems to be quite excited about his arrival. Talking to the press ahead of their matchup with the Hornets tomorrow, Rivers says, “He’s a very, very high IQ player… At times he has great defensive nights. At times, he overdoes it and that’s when we have to talk …. [but] it’s contagious, people like it.”

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Seeing that Doc has a good idea about his strengths and weaknesses, the Bucks can rely on him to keep Beverley in check. Especially during the nights he “overdoes it”. Add to it the fact that Pat Bev’s defensive pedigree will allow a brief respite for Coach Rivers.

After all, that’s what he was brought in to do. But fans and analysts aren’t taking too kindly to the rough start he’s had with the Bucks. The 62-year-old had a bunch of excuses handy too. They ranged from altitude to, the most hilarious of them all, playing too hard on defense. Anyway, he’s got a hard-nosed defender in the form of a 6’2 180-pound Chicago native.

Now, all that’s left is for Rivers to whip out his coaching excellence. Interestingly, just hours before the big move, Beverley, low-key, said that Daryl Morey might have duped him.

Patrick Beverley suggests that Morey wasn’t truthful with him

Even though it’s a joyful day for Milwaukee, the same cannot be said for Philadelphia. They just lost one of their best players in the middle of Joel Embiid‘s absence. And we all know how brutal Philly fans can be. And Beverley might have added fuel to the flame via his podcast.

Shaquille O’Neal Issues a Harsh Reality Check on Doc Rivers’ Latest Honor: “He Didn’t Deserve That”

Joining the Pat Bev Podcast was Barstool’s Adam Ferrone, and during their conversation, Beverley revealed a casual chat he had with Morey. “We playing in Denver and I hit Daryl Morey with, ‘Hey, I’m getting traded?’,”  Pat said. “‘You? No, not you. Of course not,” was Morey’s reply, apparently.

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Even though Beverley reasoned the unfairness with the fact that he wanted to win a title, it still might have hurt him. Add James Harden calling Morey a liar last year into this context and one might just wonder if The Beard’s claims might have had some substance to it.

Either way, past the trade, Patrick tweeted his appreciation to Philly fans in a heartwarming post. Bev also casually mentioned that he understood the nature of the business. So, it’s safe to assume that he isn’t too hung up on the Denver incident. Wouldn’t you say?

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Do you think Morey’s stance was right? Or was that a last-minute decision? And can Doc and, by extension, the Bucks, finally stop worrying about all things wrong and focus on getting to that championship? Let us know your thoughts!

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Written by:

Geisha Pulimoottil Don

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Edited by:

Saumya Khanduja