Patrick Beverley, former point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers and teammate of LeBron James, has never been afraid to start a beef. Now, as Beverley remains unsigned for the upcoming NBA season, he found himself in an online battle with Atlanta Hawks star point guard Trae Young.
Speaking on the Pat Bev Podcast, Beverley called out Young and his leadership on the Hawks. His comments came after the two shared a back-and-forth on X.
“He’s been to the playoffs three times, I’ve been to the playoffs nine (times),” Beverley said. “I’ve talked to people who’ve played in Atlanta. They don’t want to play there. They don’t think he’s a good leader, they don’t think he’s a good teammate.”
Earlier in the summer, Young was reportedly ‘disappointed’ at the Hawks franchise for not offering him a contract extension. Young, now set to be a free agent next summer, was subsequently rumored to be in trade discussions, but remains in Atlanta a month out from the start of training camp.
Young And Beverley Beef
The spat between Beverley and Young began when the former commented on a post on X asking the question of ‘Why do NBA players play so hard in random open gyms in the summer but give no effort in The All-Star game with millions watching?’
Beverley said it was, “Because All-Stars take the game for granted. Not 1 All-Star on the court,” which caught a response from Young, writing, “Relax. Let us speak for ourselves.”
Responding on camera to the interactions on X, Beverley made his thoughts on Young clear.
“Trae, you can score all the points you want. You can make all the money you want,” Beverley added. “If you don’t win by the time you retire, they are going to forget your name.”
Through his first seven seasons with the Hawks, Young has been a part of both some of their most successful and mediocre finishes over the recent past. The success was capped by an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2021, but Young and the team have yet to win a playoff series since.
Atlanta has held just about a .500 record in the regular season since, but has yet to reach anything close to that conference finals mark. While Young remains one of the most prolific offensive players in the NBA, Beverley’s comments on Young’s lack of playoff success hit close to home for a Hawks team with just three postseason appearances with Young on the roster.
“(In) seven years, you made the playoffs three (expletive) times, you’re too relaxed,” Beverley said. “Lead your team to some wins and a playoff push. The game needs that from you.”
Kevin Durant also chimed in on the argument, taking Young’s side.
Hawks Heading Into Next Season
Before putting a bow on Young’s offseason, the star point guard recently made other comments that made headlines. In an appearance on former NBA player Jeff Teague’s podcast called Club 520, Young said he doesn’t feel he gets the right amount of praise.
But regarding not yet being named to an All-NBA team, Young said he doesn’t care about the lack of credit he receives.
“I just think that’s why I’m not super loud when it comes to like boosting myself or something like that. I would rather let my game do the talking and let everybody else speak for me,” Young said. “So, it doesn’t matter if I’ve gotten the credit or not, I’d rather just live that way and hopefully it’s going to turn, it’s going to flip.”
While someone like Beverley might disagree with Young’s claim, the Hawks have remained steady by putting pieces around the point guard in hopes of finally finding another playoff series win.
Over the offseason, Atlanta made the notable additions of Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard. They either lost or traded away Clint Capela, Caris LeVert, Larry Nance Jr., and Georges Niang, but many have credited the Hawks as having one of the best offseasons in the NBA.
With Achilles injuries to multiple top players in the East, Atlanta hopes to be competitive alongside teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks.
While Beverley doesn’t believe Young can lead the team to that success, it could be his last year trying, as the point guard is currently set to be a free agent next summer.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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