“He's a Hall of Fame pest…He's gonna be ready to start fights” – NBA analyst believes Patrick Beverley has a bigger role to play for LA Lakers, says he can do the dirty work off court that LeBron James can't do

The LA Lakers' acquisitions of guards Patrick Beverley and Dennis Schroder are seen as formidable additions to an otherwise lackluster offseason.

At 6-foot-1, both are small guards who bring defense and shooting to the table. Both have previously been associated with the Lakers. Schroder was part of the Lakers during the 2020-21 season, and Beverley was drafted by the team in 2009.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, on his podcast, "Know Mercy," talked about the LA Lakers' additions and praised Beverley:

"I'mma tell you this real quick. I love the pickup of Patrick Beverley. He's a Hall of Fame pest. He's the kind of dude and listen, I told this to Jeanie Buss and others. He's the kind of dude that's going to say and do everything that LeBron James wants to do but can't."

"Like, he's gonna get in people's face and he's gonna be ready to start fights. I'm talking about his own teammates, I'm talking about everybody. He's gonna hold cats accountable in a way that LeBron is not going to. So, I do love that. I will admit that."

What Patrick Beverley brings to the LA Lakers

LA Clippers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves.

The LA Lakers traded away most of their formidable two-way wings in a bid to acquire Russell Westbrook. Last season, rookie Austin Reaves was forced into the role of a 3-and-D wing. Although he played to the best of his abilities, it wasn't enough for the Lakers to be competitive.

Patrick Beverley brings exactly those things. He isn't nearly as tall as Reaves, or former Lakers two-way wings Kyle Kuzma and Alex Caruso. Beverley, however, is a great defender and can shoot a spot-up 3 efficiently.

In his career, Beverley has shot 37.8% from the 3-point range, on 4.2 attempts a game. Between 2015 and 2021, Beverley shot 39.3% from beyond the arc.

Beverley's shooting numbers balloon significantly when he takes corner shots. In the past two seasons, he has shot a staggering 46.9% on corner 3-pointers. Only a quarter of his attempts came from there, though.

On the defensive end over the past three seasons, Beverley's defensive box plus-minus was 2.1. His defensive win shares (DWS) over the same period was 4.8.

He has been selected to three All-Defensive teams in his career. In 2017, he was named to the first team, while in 2014 and 2020, he made the second team.