Patrick Beverley says Devin Booker called him a basketball psychiatrist

Last season, the Lakers’ woes were not limited to on-court shortcomings as the franchise as a whole failed in their quest for the playoffs. In many ways, the team needed a complete reset after diagnosing its problems.

Fortunately, they traded for a basketball psychiatrist.

On the premiere episode of his podcast on Tuesday, Patrick Beverley — acquired via trade this offseason from Utah — said that Suns guard Devin Booker referred to him as a basketball psychiatrist during the Lakers’ preseason game against Phoenix in Las Vegas.

“We were in Vegas and we were at the free throw line and Devin Booker called me a basketball psychiatrist of teams...’You just a psychiatrist of every team. It doesn’t surprise me you make the playoffs every year. You’re a psychiatrist.’”

Look, as much as Lakers fans may have disliked him through the years, there is something to be said about the amount of success PatBev’s teams have had. As he’s pointed out many times, Beverley has not missed the playoffs since he played his first NBA game in 2012-13 (provided you exclude the 2017-18 season in which PatBev did not meet the threshold set by himself of games played due to injury).

Last season was the strongest test of that streak when he played a big role in helping Minnesota return to the playoffs. Even if has been little more than a role player with each of those teams, the proof is in the pudding. On the podcast, PatBev discussed why he thinks he’s had the string of postseason appearances.

“I don’t like losing, so that’s one. I work people, that’s two. And I’m detailed. I’m a detailed man. I’m guessing you put that in any type of profession, you’re destined for greatness.”

The Lakers could very much use some of those basketball psychiatry appointments this season. After missing out on the playoffs last season, a return to the postseason feels like a necessity.

The funnier outcome of all this, though, is sending PatBev from franchise to franchise for the remainder of his career to lead teams to the playoffs. What’s the most a franchise would give up in a trade if they know they’ll get to the playoffs once they acquire him?

For more Lakers talk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts. You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.