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The NBA was raring for the LA Lakers media day to arrive, considering new teammates Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley will be available. Formerly bitter rivals, they have seemingly buried the hatchet and have suddenly become close buddies.
Beverley asserted that what the public has seen is not for show:
“If I was to name a best friend, in so far I’ve been on a team four weeks, three weeks, whatever, if I’m about to name a best friend, it would be him [Westbrook], easy! We work out together, we lift weights together, we chat all the time. Easy!”
“Mr. 94 Feet” also revealed a previously unheard of Russell Westbrook story that backed up his claim:
“I’ve never told anyone this story. It’s when Russ was playing with the Houston Rockets. … We play Houston, he comes to me during the game, ‘Hey man, I got your sister courtside tickets.’
“I’m in so much game mode, the only thing I hear is ‘my sister.’ I’m turning around, ‘Hey, what the f**k is going on?’”
“The play comes down to the free throw line, I absorb what he says, I look at my sister, she’s on the floor. He gave her seats. He don’t know me from a can of paint. This is a story he hasn’t told, I haven’t told.”
Russell Westbrook spent the 2019-20 season with the Houston Rockets before he was traded to the Washington Wizards for John Wall. Patrick Beverley was already in his third year with the LA Clippers when Russ was in Houston.
The nasty feud between the two has been going on for nearly seven years when Westbrook was in Houston. It began in the 2013 playoffs when "Mr. Triple Double" was with the OKC Thunder while Beverley was playing for the Rockets.
For Russell Westbrook to give Patrick Beverley’s sister courtside tickets despite their very public beef is interesting. Even more stunning was how the story has been kept secret despite some false reports coming out, particularly with the Lakers’ acquisition of Beverley.
The Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley partnership will be tested early and often
As new teammates who haven’t played with each other before in the NBA, the Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverley tandem will have growing pains. They will also be playing for a first-time head coach who will be implementing a system that no one has tried before.
Despite the feel-good story Beverley just shared, he and Westbrook would still have to work on their chemistry on the floor.
Darvin Ham mentioned again during the media day interview that Westbrook is fully committed to playing high-level defense. It’s a plan Ham has sold to the former MVP and which the latter has reportedly wanted to be held accountable for.
If Russ plays as Ham envisions him to perform, he could form a tenacious defensive partnership with the ever-reliable Beverley. The Lakers have proven before that they can be a title contender if they can pair elite defense with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
That could be the formula Ham is looking for, starting with the backcourt of Westbrook and Beverley.
Guess the Lakers players!
