Los Angeles Lakers: Patrick Beverley ready to defend Lonzo Ball

Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball will have his hands full opening night against a ready and willing Patrick Beverley and the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Los Angeles Lakers have a number of rivals in the NBA. The Boston Celtics rivalry is one of the greatest in sports. The numerous battles between the Lakers and Celtics with numerous Hall of Famers playing for NBA Titles were great to see. The rivalry the Lakers have with the Los Angeles Clippers would be right up there as well.

The Clippers are also-rans compared to the Lakers. They are the little brother to the big brother Lakers, always in their shadows. The Lakers, winners of 16 NBA Championships, won’t be overtaken by the titleless Clippers anytime soon. The Lakers have more titles than the Clippers have playoff appearances.

However, in recent seasons, the Clippers have actually been the better team. Once Chris Paul arrived in Los Angeles, but not in the purple and gold, the tide began to turn. The Clippers didn’t experience much playoff success, but they were more successful than the Lakers, who have missed the postseason four consecutive seasons.

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The Lakers and Clippers both use the STAPLES Center as their home court. It hasn’t been a great rivalry since both teams haven’t been good at the same time, but that could change soon.

The Lakers are on the up and up with a talented young roster. Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram are at the forefront of that. Despite losing Paul, the Clippers still have a strong team with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.  Replacing Paul won’t be easy, but the Clippers did a solid job adding pieces to the help upgrade the roster.

One of the players that will help replace Paul is Patrick Beverley. The Clippers acquired Beverley from the Houston Rockets, where Paul was traded. Beverley is as tenacious a defender as there is at the point guard position in the NBA, and he cannot wait to show that tenacity to Ball.

There is no denying that players are going to get up for matchups with Ball. His father has rubbed some people the wrong way, giving them added incentive to beat up on the rookie. His father, LaVar Ball, has the utmost confidence in his son. So much confidence that he believes his son will more than hold his own against two-time MVP, Stephen Curry.

This is just the latest in outlandish comments from LaVar. Of course, it grew quite a reaction from people on Twitter. One of the people who responded was Beverley himself.

The Lakers and Clippers will be matching up on Opening Night. Beverley will more than likely draw the assignment against Ball, something he sounds more than ready for.

Ball will have quite an introduction to the NBA going up against Beverley in his first game. There isn’t much tougher of a test for your first regular season game, as Beverley brings it every second he is on the court.

Beverley will make Ball work, but there is one area that Ball has a distinct advantage and that is in size. Beverley stands 6-feet-1 inches tall; Ball is 6-feet-6 inches tall. Ball will have to use that height and length difference to his advantage not only against Beverley but against most opponents.

Next: How Lonzo Ball Will Transform Lakers

There aren’t many point guards in the NBA that are 6-feet-6 inches tall. It will probably be the biggest advantage that Ball has on a nightly basis. Will it give him an edge? We will have to wait and see on opening night in what will be a good test for the rookie.