Post by Rog on Sept 19, 2017 0:46:32 GMT
The 92nd nominee of the NBN Hall of Fame was one of the most fun players in league history. He did everything you'd want from a point guard, from scoring to distributing to defending. Was he actually that good though? Good enough to be a Hall of Famer? Lets take a look.
Career Stats
36.1 MPG, 20.6 PPG, 8.5 APG, 5.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 2.3 TOPG on 45.5% from the field, 88.1% from the line, and 40.6% from three
Best Season
Wizards(2011) - 22.5 PPG, 10.3 APG, 6.5 RPG, 2.8 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 2.8 TOPG on 46.3% from the field, 86.9% from the line, and 43.2% from three
Career Highs
Points: 55
Rebounds: 16
Assists: 21
Steals: 9
Blocks: 4
Achievements
Championships: 1
Player of the Game: 254
Player of the Week: 9
Player of the Month: 2
Double Doubles: 510
Triple Doubles: 47
Awards
2008 - All-Star Rookie Game Participant
2011 - All-League Third Team
2011 - All-Defensive Second Team
2012 - All-Star Game Participant
2012 - All-Defensive Second Team
2013 - All-Star Game Participant
2015 - All-Star Game Participant
2015 - All-League First Team
2015 - All-Defensive Second Team
2017 - Playoff MVP
Arguments For Induction
- More than anything, Beverley was a winner, versatile and willing to do anything on the court to win. Thats shown by his accolade set. He won a title in 2017 with the Toronto Raptors, , winning playoff MVP. He played in three All-Star Games, in 3 of 4 seasons in the middle of his prime. He also was named to three All-Defensive Second teams proving his worth defensively. And finally he was named to two All-League Teams, one first and one third. Yes, Beverley was the best point guard in the league one year of his career.
- As said, and I'll go into the individual statistical greatness of Beverley in a second, the biggest plus for Beverley was his sheer ability to do anything you needed from him. Whatever your team needed at that moment, including coming off the bench, he would do it. He was the rock for many a contender. And his 47 triple doubles, 18 shy of the record, prove that point as well.
- I'm just going to start from the top, because he was equally good to great at everything you can ask him to be. He was a good scorer for the most part of his career, never quite reaching great levels(one season being the exception). He averaged 20.5 points per game for his career, a very respectable number for a point guard with his abilities. He also shot the ball very well, as well. His career 45.5/88.1/40.6 shooting line speaks for itself, even if its not quite elite. He had elite seasons, they just weren't his average. Keep in mind too when looking at those scoring numbers, and relatively all his numbers, he held on for a long time which helped him some in the All-Time leaderboards, but hurt his averages. Other than the second to last season of his career, the last five of his career were not to his normal standards. He did finish top 30, 29th to be exact, in scoring.
- He was also an absolutely elite passer. Again, his 8.5 assists per game career number doesn't tell the entire picture. For eleven seasons after he spent two years in D-League, he never dipped below 8.8 assists, and only below 9 in one season. Hell, he had 9.5 assists or better, which is elite, in 7 of those 11 seasons. That is incredible. He also did it without really turning over the ball, as his 2.3 turnovers per game showed. He never turned it over more than 3.3 per game, other than his second to last year where he was clearly playing above what he was worth at that point. Had the ball in his hands too much at age 35. And the biggest thing, totals wise, for him to hang his case on is the fact that he was 5th in assists all time. Great passer.
- How about a great defender? Yeah, he was that with three All-Defensive teams to his name, which is pretty damn hard as the point guard spot normally changes quite frequently. He finished 15th in steals All-Time for his career as well, 2 a game for his career. And like his other stats, he was better than those numbers for most year as well.
- Finally, in the world tour of what Beverley was good at, he was a great, if not elite, rebounder for a point guard, averaging 5.5 a game for his career, being over 6 for a lot his career. Like I said, his 47 triple doubles is high up the list All-Time as well.
- Is Patrick Beverley the best 2nd round pick of All-Time? Its possible, Brogdon has a damn good case, as does Demetrius Jackson. But Beverley's case is damn solid. He did everything you could ever ask for in a point guard, and he really deserves to be enshrined with the best of the best. He fits in pretty damn well if you ask me.
Arguments Against Induction
- There isn't a lot here, but the biggest one is a slight lack of awards. They are there, but they are kind of thin. But if DeMar DeRozan is getting pretty good support with his awards, why shouldn't Beverley?
- As stated with others, a lot of what Beverley did well was good, even very good, but was anything other than his passing really elite? And if the answer is no, is 5th All-Time in assists and one season over 10 assists enough for him to be enshrined? Tough to say.
- Overall, there isn't much here to say really, Beverley was a good, even a great player. But like I've asked with a lot of other players in this class, is being a great player enough to be put next to Chris Paul, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Durant, and Josh Childress? Or do you have to elevate your game to a higher place for that honor? Tough to say it shouldn't be the latter.
Vote carefully, and remember to throw out arguments regardless of which side you're on. This should be a discussion that eventually gets the league to the proper decision on him. Your vote can also be retracted after it's been cast if you feel like switching to the other side based on the arguments that have been made. To be inducted, a player needs 70% and to be considered in a later class they need 50%. Vote carefully.
***BONUS - Don't forget that everyone who votes gets $25 and the person that makes the best argument or contributes to the discussion the best will be awarded an extra $25***