Patrick Beverley won’t let preseason matters rattle his focus on Lakers starting role
Believe it or not, Patrick Beverley insisted that when the Lakers faced the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night in their preseason finale at Crypto.com Arena, there’d be no extra juice, no extra snarl, no extra energy.
That Beverley was the emotional leader for the Timberwolves last season, pushing them into the postseason after being sent packing by the Clippers, didn’t matter.
“I’m happy to be playing against anybody,” Beverley said flatly before the Lakers’ 118-113 loss. “You can’t take this game for granted. We see the injuries that happen throughout the league, see the injuries that happen throughout the preseason. Any game you play is important.”
But surely, Beverley playing the Timberwolves for the first time since they traded him in a deal for All-Star center Rudy Gobert — who missed both of the teams’ preseason meetings — would get one of the NBA’s best irritants, you know, irritated.
“I mean, it’s preseason,” said Beverley, who finished with 10 points, five assists, four rebounds and three steals in 27 minutes.
His visa problems resolved, Dennis Schroder joins Lakers teammates for his first practice of training camp and says reports of long-term deal were wrong.
The Lakers, for their part, are trying to strip as much of that title away as possible between now and Tuesday when they opens the season against the Golden State Warriors. It’s why Coach Darvin Ham is ramping up his stars’ minutes and beginning to tighten his rotation.
Still, the search for a starting five continues.
Wednesday night, Ham started Anthony Davis and LeBron James in the frontcourt with Russell Westbrook, Lonnie Walker IV and Beverley in the backcourt. It’s one of the combinations Ham is considering for his starting lineup.
Walker, who missed the first two preseason games because of an ankle injury, quickly has endeared himself with his athleticism and offensive skill set.
“Just the energy and physicality that he plays with. Offensively — we spoke about his defense earlier, but offensively, the way he runs the floor, the way he can handle in transition and get to the rim and attack with force,” Ham said. “He can catch and shoot. He can play pick and roll. He knows how to space. Knows when to slash. I’ve encouraged him to be active on the offensive glass and be a good screen-setter. And again, he’s looking to make his mark. And not in a selfish manner, but in a supportive manner to our three big dogs.”
Walkers scored 12 points in 19 minutes before leaving with a left leg injury. James led the way with 25 points to go with 11 rebounds while Davis added 19 and 13.
The Lakers pick up their first preseason win since 2020 against the Golden State Warriors, but the Lakers stars still don’t see time together on the court.
The Lakers know they’ll have James, Davis and Westbrook in the starting lineup (provided all three are healthy). From there, Ham still is searching.
“We get an opportunity to throw some stuff at the wall and see what sticks. We already know our three main guys — Russ, Bron, AD. Those guys as well are getting used to playing with one another. That was very limited last year,” Ham said before the game. “So we look at it as an opportunity to just shake the rug and just shake things up and see what makes sense once it all starts to come together.”
All things Lakers, all the time.
Get all the Lakers news you need in Dan Woike's weekly newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
