Patrick Beverley discusses the differences between European basketball and the NBA, praising the team-centric approach, high skill levels, and strategic coaching in Europe, and credits coach Jure Zdovc for significantly shaping his career.
After his first season in Ukraine with Dnipro and a EuroLeague debut with Olympiacos Piraeus in 2009-10, Patrick Beverley got a chance to play in the NBA. Drafted by the LA Lakers in 2009, the Miami Heat acquired his draft rights, only to release him soon after.
Olympiacos Piraeus / Schedule
Real Madrid
Olympiacos Piraeus
Fenerbahce Beko IstanbulReturning to Europe, Beverley eventually made his way back to the NBA when the Houston Rockets signed him in 2013. Since then, he has earned a reputation as one of the NBA's most tenacious defenders, making three All-Defensive teams in his 12-year career.
In a recent episode of "The Pat Bev Podcast," Beverley discussed the differences between European basketball and the NBA, starting with a shoutout to Panathinaikos Athens for winning the 2024 EuroLeague title.
"Every game in Europe you play with a team concept of you have to win the game," Beverley said of the Old Continent game. "In the NBA, some nights are different. Some nights, you don't have some guys playing, and in Europe, everyone's trying to play and fight through everything. You don't really have a lot of guys missing stuff unless it's something serious."
He highlighted that, aside from superstars, NBA players have similar skills to those overseas.
"Besides Steph Currys, LeBron James, KDs, Luka Doncics, Jayson Tatums, and Jaylen Browns, I'm talking about the role players and the players right above role players. If you took those guys and just swapped them out, and no one knew who their name was on the back of the jersey, you couldn't tell the difference," Beverley stressed. "The guys [in Europe] know how to play the right way. They play extremely hard; it's built on a team game. They understand the game and know how to play the game. I'm talking about some of the greatest minds I have ever seen people have.
"Theodoros Papaloukas, who was a magician with the ball. Milos Teodosic, EuroLeague MVP, a guy, who was a magician with the ball," he praised his former teammates at Olympiacos. "Not just smart on the court, but intelligent in life and show you things on the court that you'd be, 'Damn, I didn't even see that.'
"I've played with a ton of guys, but just the feel of the game, the vision of the game; these guys have been doing this since they were 13-14 years old. ... The skill set between the EuroLeague and the NBA has always been there. I think the size, speed, and physicality are starting to combine in Europe with a skill set. That's why you see guys like Wemby, Luka, and Jokic."
Beverley also commended European coaches for their daily adjustments and detailed game plans. He noted the respect European teams have for their masterminds, unlike the NBA's business-oriented approach.
"You're talking about the most brilliant coaches to ever coach the game in Europe. ... In Europe, if you are a really good coach, you appreciated more," the 35-year-old noted. "In the NBA, you get appreciated by how much you make. In Europe, they appreciate what you've done, what plays you've run, the amount of success you've had over and over, the ability to leave the team and go to another team and do the same thing and to be able to coach all these other great coaches who set the bar for coaches in Europe.
"I really believe that in the NBA, coaches are hired to be fired," he added. "That's literally how it goes in the NBA. If they hire you in Europe and you're a great coach, they want you there for a lifetime."
Beverley played in Russia from 2011 through 2013, winning 2012 EuroCup MVP honors. During this period, he was coached by Slovenian specialist Jure Zdovc, a former Zalgiris Kaunas and Slovenian national team head coach.
"Jure Zdovc one of the best coaches I have ever played for to this day," Beverley underlined.
"Not only did I play for a really good coach, but I also played for a coach who played high-level EuroLeague, national team basketball. ... Curse you right out, right in your face. No disrespect, just all for the team, all for the team," he went on to say. "Showed me how to play basketball the right way. I'm MVP of the league, and he was on my ass like back pockets. Shoutout to Jure Zdovc."
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