Patrick Beverley is in a quest for a new start after spending his first five seasons with the Houston Rockets as a stellar defensive ace, later developing into a sure-shot from beyond the arc. Having come to the L.A. Clippers as part of a bundle in exchange for All-Star point guard Chris Paul, Beverley is now embracing the challenge of likely becoming a starting point guard as well as the playing time and rigors that come from it.

The 6-foot-1 point man had one of his best seasons with the Rockets in 2016-17, averaging 9.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.5 steals while knocking down 38.2 percent of his shots from deep.

“My confidence is at an all-time high; it's sky high,” Beverley told Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype. “Confidence is one of the most important things in the NBA, and I'm just at a different level mentally now. I'm setting really high goals for myself. I definitely want to come in and get All-Defensive First Team again. This year, I want to get that Most Improved Player award too.”

“At the same time, it's all about winning. We have goals that we've set for this year, trying to be a Top 4 or Top 5 team in the league. If we make the playoffs and do that, I'll be thrilled. I really feel like I'm part of something special here. Every four or five years, you get the chance to be on a team that can break through and do something special. I think that's where this team is headed.”

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The Clippers only have two returning starters from the 2016-17 in Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, making this new-look team one that will need to come together fast in order to make a dent in a deep Western Conference.

“We've been working out together for the last month and a half,” Beverley said of this new-look Clippers team. “We've been playing at the Clippers' facility, but we've also been playing all together at UCLA [against other NBA players]. We've been together a ton over the last month and a half too. A few weeks ago, the whole team took a trip to San Diego together. We're constantly going to dinners together and hanging out together. We just had a game night last weekend. We've gotten super, super, super, duper close. That's half the battle right there.”