CHICAGO (670 The Score) – Bulls star guard Zach LaVine was a few questions into his postgame interview Friday evening when he was asked if he felt like there was a new vibe with the team after it snapped a six-game losing streak with a 131-87 rout of the Nets at the United Center.
“Yes,” boomed a voice from outside the scrum before LaVine could answer.
The comment came from veteran guard Patrick Beverley, a Chicago native whose Bulls debut was a smashing success as he soaked in a special night in his hometown. Despite just two practices with his new team and even as he lacked the understanding of some of the terminology regarding the Bulls’ sets and coverages, Beverley immediately replaced Ayo Dosunmu in the starting lineup, which also saw another change as Alex Caruso replaced power forward Patrick Williams.
Beverley’s stat line – eight points on 2-of-4 shooting, five rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes – didn’t pop out of the box score, but to hear the Bulls tell it, that wasn’t what his addition on the buyout market was about it. Rather, it was about helping organize the offense, playing his usual strong defense and sparking a fire in a moribund squad.
Beverley did just that, as the Bulls raced out to an 11-0 lead and led 63-29 at halftime. The Nets’ 29 points at the break were the fewest the Bulls had allowed in a half this season, and they didn’t think it was a coincidence that it happened with Beverley in the fold. On multiple occasions, Beverley jazzed up the crowd, and he and Caruso shared a chest bump in another instance after the Bulls (27-33) forced the Nets into a shot clock violation.
“When you got a guy like Pat Beverley on the team, the intensity that he comes (with), the first second he came in, the energy he brings, you got to follow behind that,” Bulls star forward DeMar DeRozan said. “He holds everybody accountable and is going to compete at a high level. When you see a teammate with that type of mentality, you’ve got to follow behind it.”
Beverley officially signed with the Bulls on Tuesday, a day after news broke that he would join them. He was traded from the Lakers to the Magic in a deal just before the trade deadline on Feb. 9, then reached a buyout agreement with Orlando before ever reporting. During his short break, Beverley and his wife took a trip to Paris, where he explained that he first learned of the Bulls’ interest while he was in front of the Eiffel Tower.
Beverley soon after had a 20-minute conversation with coach Billy Donovan and was set on his new opportunity, calling it an “easy decision” to join Chicago. Beverley believes his playing style is a seamless fit.
“My job is not hoisting a lot of shots,” Beverley said. “My job is to make sure we stay in steady offense, make sure the key guys get the ball where they need to go. Obviously, stay aggressive on the offensive end. I just tried to make the game easy for Zach, make sure he didn’t have to do a ton of dribbling, make sure DeMar caught it in his spots.”
LaVine certainly enjoyed Beverley’s arrival, scoring a game-high 32 points on 12-of-17 shooting. The Bulls shot 56.8% as a team.
“He brings energy each and every,” LaVine said. “I think that’s exactly what we needed.”
Cody Westerlund is a sports editor for 670TheScore.com and covers the Bulls. Follow him on Twitter @CodyWesterlund.
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