Patrick Beverley to Delon Wright
All things considered, Patrick Beverley played well with the Milwaukee Bucks after coming over at the NBA Trade Deadline last season. After initially coming off the bench, he wiggled into the starting five by the time the playoffs kicked off due to the team's need for more defenders. Yet, the Bucks opted to pivot and sign Delon Wright to fill Beverley's shoes quickly into free agency.
Career-wise, there's no denying that Beverley is the better player. However, with Beverley just turning 36 years old, there were questions regarding how much he had left in the tank, especially on a roster that needed to get younger. That's one of the reasons why signing Wright, 32, made sense, providing the Milwaukee Bucks with a younger alternative who has plenty of good basketball left.
Another thing Wright has over Beverley is versatility. At 6-foot-2, bigger wings and guards could try and target Beverley due to his size despite his strong reputation as a defender. Wright, on the other hand, stands tall at 6-foot-5, allowing him to hold his own and not always be at a height disadvantage and not have opponents shoot over him constantly in situations that call for switching.
Statistically, Beverley does have the advantage. Last season, he averaged 6.2 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, while Wright put up 4.5 points, 2.5 assists and 1.8 rebounds. It should be noted that Beverley played nearly five more minutes per game, but Wright is also the type of player who can make an impact without stuffing the stat sheet, especially as a defender.
After years of rolling with undersized backup point guards, most of who are also in the latter portion of their NBA careers, Wright could be a nice change of pace.
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