Knicks Trade Rumors: Pros, Cons Of Trading For Patrick Beverley

Pro: Defense

There aren’t many point guards who can match Patrick Beverley’s intensity on the defensive end of the floor. Truly great scorers are going to score no matter what a defender does, but the best of defensive players make it as difficult as possible for them to do so.

The benefit of having a player who can make that happen is that, while the scorers may get their points, they generally have to do so outside of the rhythm of the game.

When great scorers can pick their spots, the opposing defense is going to pay the price at all five positions. That much is proven in how the Golden State Warriors enable Stephen Curry to seamlessly work without the ball, which thus forces multiple defenders to account for his scoring.

When a defender can contain the primary scoring option and force them to work for every shot, however, the entire offense tends to stagnate.

That’s what Beverley has done throughout his Rockets career alongside one of the worst defensive players in the NBA: James Harden. In New York, he’d likely be working alongside a quality defender in Courtney Lee with a legitimate rim protector behind him in Kristaps Porzingis.

Adept at both locking down his position and creating turnovers, Beverley is the perfect point guard to help save the Knicks’ dreadful defense.