By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Patrick Beverley will play in the French league this season for Boulazac, and he spoke to Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s YouTube show “Thanalysis” about European basketball.
Beverley, who played the last two seasons for PAOK in Greece and Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel, is not a stranger to European basketball, having started his career in the second division of Ukraine and then playing for Olympiacos in Greece and Spartak St. Petersburg in Russia before moving to the NBA in 2013.
And as he explained, speaking about NBA players and their ability to play in Europe: “They have no clue. It’s not a disrespect to everyone’s game physically on what they can do, it’s just mentality wise. There are NBA superstars right now who couldn’t play in Europe. I truly believe that. They simply couldn’t.”
Beverley explained that there are differences both on and off the court: “The adjustment is completely different. Everything revolves around the team. The coach controls everything. It’s almost like a college team made up of adults. The team comes before each individual. You sometimes share a hotel room with a teammate. Travel isn’t organized for your comfort like it is in the NBA, even though it’s improved tremendously. And in the game, you can decide: ‘We’re not taking any shots until there are six seconds left on the clock.’ Everything is built on defense. It’s totally different.”
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