It doesn't matter who the Clippers' starting point guard was before Patrick Beverley came to town. The 29-year-old is his own man and isn't going to let the ghost of a certain former All-NBA player haunt the next chapter of his career.
"I'm going to go ahead and get this out of the way because I know I'm going to be asked this a lot this year: I am not Chris Paul," Beverley announced at his introductory press conference Tuesday. "I re-iterate: I am not Chris Paul. With saying that, he is not me neither."
Paul was traded from the Clippers to the Houston Rockets on June 28 for a package that included Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell, Darrun Hilliard, DeAndre Liggins, Kyle Wiltjer, a protected first-round pick, and cash considerations.
While Paul is an elite player on the defensive end, Beverley has a legitimate case for being the toughest on-ball defender in the league. He was named to the All-Defensive second team in 2013-14 and the All-Defensive first team for his most recent campaign, earning the nickname "Mr. 94 Feet" - the length of an NBA court.
Rockets star James Harden took on more playmaking duties in recent years, allowing Beverley to flex his muscles as a 3-point shooter in more of an off-ball role. He's shot 39.1 percent on 3-pointers since the start of the 2015-16 season. With Clippers point forward Blake Griffin expected to pick up some of the playmaking slack, Beverley could continue to succeed in a similar secondary role on offense.
Beverley averaged 9.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.5 steals per game through five seasons with Houston.