New Philadelphia 76ers newcomer Patrick Beverley is among those who doubt the Boston Celtics’ combo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. On the August 24 episode of “The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone,” Beverley reacted honestly when asked if they could win the championship.
“No. “There are too many of the same players, and they don’t complement each other well enough,” Beverley remarked.
Tatum and Brown have been together since 2017. In that time, they’ve made the Eastern Conference Finals four times and have made an NBA Finals appearance, but they have not gotten over the hump. During that stretch, they have also beaten the Sixers three times in the postseason – 2018, 2020, 2023.
The Celtics made massive changes this summer when they traded Marcus Smart, among others, for Kristaps Porzingis, indicating that they believed the roster may not have been strong enough to win. Even so, Beverley is evidently skeptical of what they can do.
Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer reported that the Celtics were a “potential suitor” for Beverley on June 30, but he chose the Sixers instead.
Why Beverley Picked Sixers Over Celtics
On July 5, Beverley explained on his podcast why he decided to join the Sixers instead of the Celtics, despite the latter potentially offering more money.
“I talked to representatives of mine. It might be Philly. It might be Boston. It might be Washington. Imma have a little bit more money in Boston or Washington. Let’s wait on it. Let’s wait on it. I tell my agent, ‘F*** it. Pull the trigger. I ain’t gonna wait.’ I like Nick Nurse. Obviously, I took a paycut, but it’s never been about the money. You feel me? It’s always about the basketball,” Beverley said.
Beverley may have a substantial role with the Sixers after they lost Shake Milton and may potentially be losing James Harden as well. Despite losing Smart, the Celtics may not have been able to offer to same role the Sixers could. With Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, and Payton Pritchard, the Celtics have enough guard depth that Beverley may have been stapled to their bench.
Patrick Beverley Comments on Sixers’ Drama
On the August 16 episode of his podcast, Beverley explained why he understood both sides of the James Harden-Daryl Morey drama.
“Obviously, (Harden)’s entitled to feel any way loss when he’s promised things, and on Daryl’s behalf, no matter what, his job is to get the best product for as cheap as possible. That’s his job. That’s the name of the game. You’re a GM, you’re a president, you’re trying to get a bunch of great product… and I think we’re in the middle of that right now. Obviously, it’s not a good look media-wise, organizational-wise,” Beverley said.
“Obviously, you understand the player side because I’m a player. I’m always gonna be on the player side and also doing business with friends too. I’ve done business with friends that haven’t worked out to my liking, and then you have to end relationships because of that. So, I understand both sides. It’s just an unfortunate situation.”
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