The NBA handed Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverley a three-game suspension for shoving Suns center Deandre Ayton from behind on Tuesday. And Beverley has already served one game of his three-game suspension as he sat out yesterday's outing versus the Spurs, which the Lakers won 105-94.
Before the match against San Antonio, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham spoke to the media about several topics, including Beverley's suspension. Ham said the following regarding his starting point guard:
“It's an unfortunate situation, but at the end of the day, we have to respect the league's decision. And Pat's a fighter and let's give him a chance to stay healthy, for one, but just give him a chance to work on his body and be ready to go once the suspension is over.”
This isn't the first suspension of Beverley's career. He missed one game for pushing Suns guard Chris Paul during the 2021 playoffs.
Beverley, 34, is in his 11th year in the NBA and his first with the Lakers. He's averaging 4.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 0.9 steals across 14 games this season. Beverley has struggled mightily on the offensive side of the ball since joining the Lakers, as he's shooting just 26.6% from the field and 23.8% from three-point range, both by far career worsts.
If Beverley's offensive game doesn't turn a new leaf when he returns from his suspension, he could be in jeopardy of losing his starting spot. Considering his putridly inefficient shooting to the season, he's arguably hurting the Lakers more than he's helping them offensively.
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