Houston Rockets: Patrick Beverley Makes Case For Starting PG Role

Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Of course the Houston Rockets have only one pre-season game under their belt, but one the case could be made for Patrick Beverley to get the starting point guard spot. On Saturday night the Rockets got a look at the new arrival to the Southwest Division, All-Star point Jrue Holiday. The New Orleans Pelicans new point guard had his hands full with the Rockets trio of point guards, Jeremy Lin, Aaron Brooks, and Patrick Beverley.

Most notably, Patrick Beverely, who  gave Jrue Holiday all sorts of trouble in the 4th quarter. Beverly stole the ball from Jrue Holiday on four consecutive possessions, while drawing a 6th foul from him with over 8 minutes left in the game.

The four steals are captured here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEA1fEihnaE

Beverley also shot an extremely efficient 80 percent(4-5) from the field, and finished with 12 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals in 21 minutes. Beverly only had one turnover, while Jeremy Lin, and Aaron Brooks had 4 each.

Of course Beverly remains famous for his aggressive defense on Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook. So aggressive it resulted in Westbrook tearing his  lateral meniscus tear in his right knee. Westbrook casually brought the ball up the court as the Thunder prepared to take a timeout. Rather than sit back and wait for the dead ball, Rockets guard Patrick Beverley lunged across Westbrook’s body in search of an open-court steal. It was a slightly awkward effort that sent Westbrook crashing to the floor after the two guards banged legs.

The Rockets lack of defense players was obvious last season, Beverley being the one bright spot late in the season. The Rockets additions of Dwight  Howard, and Ronnie Brewer add greatly to the defensive rating.

Beverly will have another opportunity next week against the Indiana Pacers guard George Hill to further prove he is a starter.