‘The next five years are mine’: A Patrick Beverley retrospective

With Milwaukee’s elimination Thursday, we have reached the end of Patrick Beverley’s five-year window he announced in 2019

Fresh of the Los Angeles Clippers signing Kawhi Leonard and trading for Paul George in the summer of 2019, Patrick Beverley was full of confidence in the season opener. After forcing a turnover on Steph Curry near the end of the Golden State Warriors’ loss, Beverley declared “You had the last five years. The next five years are mine.”

Reportedly Curry’s response was, “Aren’t you 31?”

Now, after the Indiana Pacers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks Thursday night to eliminate them from the playoffs, we have reached the end of the five-year Patrick Beverley Era. It ended ugly. First, Beverley repeatedly threw a basketball into the stands, hitting a woman in the side of the head.

After the game, Beverley refused to talk to a female reporter from ESPN because she didn’t subscribe to his podcast.

But was it all rough times in the half-decade of PatBev? Sort of, yes. Let’s look at the timeline.

2019-20

Beverley averaged 7.9 points, shoots 39% from three-point range, and made the All-Defensive second team. In the playoffs, the Clippers were up 3-1 on the Denver Nuggets in the second round before losing three straight games, blowing double-digit leads in all of those losses. Beverley averaged six points and three assists in the seven games.

2020-21

Beverley played only 37 games for the Clippers due to injuries, playing 22.5 minutes per game. When he came back, he helped the Clippers reach the Western Conference Finals, where they lost to the Phoenix Suns in six games. Beverley being Beverley, he also got ejected from their final playoff game for shoving Chris Paul after a timeout.

2021-22

Beverley was traded twice before the season, first to the Memphis Grizzlies and then to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He shot 41% from the floor, scored 9.2 points per game and averaged 4.6 assists. Minnesota advanced to the playoffs after beating his former team, the Clippers, in the 7-8 play-in game, and Beverley was pretty excited about it.

We have to respect the enthusiasm and the pettiness from Beverley here. To beat the team that traded you for Eric Bledsoe had to be immensely satisfying. Not only that, but Beverley secured the bag, getting himself a one-year extension for $13 million.

Minnesota would go on to lose to the Memphis Grizzlies in six games. Oh, and Steph Curry and the Warriors won the NBA title.

2022-23

It didn’t last in Minnesota. The Timberwolves sent Beverley to the Utah Jazz in order to bring in Rudy Gobert, who Draymond Green finally respects as a defender. The Jazz flipped him to the Lakers before the season. Beverley started all 45 of his games with the Lakers, averaging 6.4 points and 2.6 assists, and also drew an ejection and a three-game suspension for shoving Deandre Ayton from behind.

But the highlight of Beverley’s season, if not his entire career, came when he protested a non-call on LeBron James’ late-game drive against the Boston Celtics.

Yes, he borrowed a camera to show the referee a replay of the play. Beverley got a technical, but also may have helped James get a heartfelt apology from his dear friends, the referees.

Showing zero gratitude, the Lakers traded Beverley to the Orlando Magic, who quickly bought him out and he headed to the Chicago Bulls. Beverley announced that his mission was to knock the Lakers out of the playoffs. He did beat the Lakers once as a Bull, putting up 10 points and five assists in a win, but then went scoreless against them in a loss three days later.

Beverley and the Bulls won a 9-10 play-in game against the Toronto Raptors, but went on to lose to the Miami Heat in a game where Beverley also did not score a point.

2023-24

Beverley started the season with the Philadelphia 76ers, replacing his old friend James Harden at point guard. He did tie a career-high with 26 points in December, but the Sixers traded him to the Milwaukee Bucks for Cam Payne at the trade deadline. Beverley had a huge Game Five against the Indiana Pacers, putting up 13 points and 12 assists in a win, but then Game Six happened: Six points, five assists, 22-point loss, two basketball throws into the stands.

So that’s Patrick Beverley’s last five years. Honestly, quite a lot happened, and we haven’t even got into his burgeoning podcasting career.

The final tally is:

Six teams

Five trades

16-21 playoff record

Two suspensions, plus the one coming for Thursday night

723 “too small” celebrations

Ultimately, it’s hard to say that 2019-2024 was Patrick Beverley’s time. He was certainly around a lot of interesting things, like a floor-slapping NBA Forrest Gump. But at least Forrest won a championship. In ping pong.

And just like Forrest’s buttocks after being shot in Vietnam, Beverley was a real pain in the ass.