There’s no use wondering about what could have been. That’s more or less where Patrick Beverley stands. He took a circuitous route to the NBA, with stops in Ukraine, Greece and Russia after being a high school star in the West Side of Chicago. Now, Mr. 94 Feet — the nickname he adopted after Chris Webber praised his pressure defense on TV — is the unquestioned starting point guard of the Houston Rockets, and he welcomes the challenge of playing a bigger role. Chandler Parsons, Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik relocating means that more will be asked of him.
Houston was on the verge of forming a superteam this summer, with Chris Bosh coming close to joining Parsons and Dwight Howard in the frontcourt. It was the second time Beverley almost teamed with Bosh and other stars — he was the Heat’s final cut in training camp four years ago. Perhaps more than anyone else on the Rockets roster, he knows to look at every perceived setback as an opportunity.
“If I could change it, I wouldn’t change anything about my journey, where I came from or what it took for me to get here,” Beverley said.
After a workout at the Toyota Center, Beverley spoke with us over the phone. The following is a condensed transcript of the conversation:
What’s the offseason been like?
Work, work, work. I’ve been here and in Chicago. In Chicago I worked with Will Bynum and a little bit with Derrick Rose before he went to the USA team. We’ve been working, working hard, working on my offensive game. And I’m looking forward to leading forward to leading this team this upcoming season.
What do you think you can accomplish this year, both team-wise and individually?
First off, we want to get out of the first round. And individually, definitely want to see my offensive game change a lot. I’ve been working on different pieces of my game. It’s this entire year. My leadership, corresponding with James and Dwight and Trevor [Ariza] and T.J. [Terrence Jones], we’ll have to carry a lot of the load. We’re looking up for that, we’re looking up for the challenge. This year’s going to be fun.
Do you think people are underestimating the Rockets right now?
Yeah, of course. Which is normal. People think that we lost Chandler and we lost O, J-Lin, [they think] it just wasn’t a good offseason. We’re happy with what we have now, and what we have are tough guys with good character. I’m all about hard work pays off, and those are the type of guys we have on the team.
How close are you with Chandler?
We talked yesterday. Me and CP are real close. We talk all the time. We joke around on Twitter. He’s real close, he knows my little sister, he knows my mom, I know his dad, I know his mom and I know his friends, he knows my friends.
Was it bittersweet in that he got a great deal but he had to leave?
I mean, I’m happy with what we have. We got a good piece in Trevor Ariza, who’s a great player and we’re looking for big things from him this year. I think, you know, I don’t get into all that numbers thing. That’s not my job. I’m just happy about my teammate in Trevor Ariza. That’s who we have and he’s a big part of our team.
What did you see out of Derrick Rose when you were working out?
He’s super strong. That’s the first thing I seen with him. He’s super strong, he put on some good weight. I think the day I seen him and I seen how big he was, I think the same night I went to go lift weights ‘cause I thought, you know, I saw how big he was. Just his strength, his explosiveness, the way he moves off pick-and-roll and how hard he works in the weight room. So it’s a Chicago family, man. Me, him, Will Bynum, Tony Allen, we’re all real close and working with each other has been a blessing this summer.
You looked up to Will Bynum when you were younger, right? What’s that relationship like now?
It’s kind of different ‘cause you know, as a young kid, watching him while he was in high school, he was much older than me. But actually working with him, I didn’t have that veteran point guard on the team last year so I picked up a lot of things with him. He has Andre Drummond over there, who is a high-flying big like Dwight. So I’m able to learn key things from him and try to use that in my game in the upcoming season.
What’s it like to represent Chicago and know that, while you grew up looking up to Will, there are kids now looking up to you?
It’s definitely an honor, man. Especially coming from where we come from, it’s kind of hard to make it out. But all of us are extremely close and we’re trying to pave the way for other younger players. You have players like Jabari Parker, guys like that, who are coming up and making it insane for kids who want to play basketball again.
What’s it like to have a movie out there about the high school version of you?
It was so long ago. At the time, it was so much fun. Cameras following around your whole senior year of high school, you’re the big dog and the big man at school. It’s pretty dope. That was, I don’t know, six, seven years ago so I kind of got over that. But it was dope. People get to look back and see where I come from and how I was raised and stuff like that. It was pretty cool at that time.
Do you ever stop and think about your journey, coming from Chicago and going overseas before the league?
All the time. I’ll never forget where I come from. Especially my humble beginnings. I’m appreciative and I’m more humble than anything, especially with me and my grandmother, her still staying in the city. So when I go back, I see all of that again and I’m just in a position where I’m blessed and I can kind of take care of others. It puts me in a position where I appreciate things more, you know?
What comes to mind when you think back to being overseas and wanting to be in the league, following it from afar?
Actually when I was overseas I didn’t watch any NBA. I was like, ‘Forget the NBA,’ and this and that. ‘Cause I was hurt that I wasn’t on an NBA team. I kind of was rebellious when it came to that because I was kind of jealous and envious that I wasn’t on an NBA team, so I kind of just focused on my game and focused on overseas.
Can you put into words what it’s like to play in a high-intensity playoff game coming off a knee injury, with a flu and a crazy fever?
I don’t know. It’s a blur now. I just felt like things happened so fast then. I was trying to take in everything. Only thing I know is that we lost in the first round. Everything went by so fast. I just felt different, my body felt different, my mentality was different. It took me time to get warmed up, really felt like I was using extra strength ‘cause I couldn’t really move out there. I’m not one to kind of make excuses, so I know we lost when it came to it in the playoffs.
Do you feel like you’ve made a name for yourself now?
A little bit. Not a lot. I still have a long ways to go. I do get a chance to bring out my entire game now, offensive side and defensive. This year’s a big year for me and it’s going to be a fun year. We can prove a lot of doubters wrong.
Will you always kind of feel like you have more to prove?
Yeah. All the time. I still do. And I think that’s me. No matter how much I make or what I get, I still think that I gotta go out there and prove something. That’s going to be my mentality and that’s my motivation.
