Patrick Beverley Responds to Trae Young in New Video, Rips 'Empty Stats,' Leadership
The war of words between Patrick Beverley and Trae Young doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
Beverley responded to Young's video criticizing him with a nine-minute video of his own that goes at the Atlanta Hawks guard for everything from "empty stats" to what he believes is a lack of leadership.
Beverley did hype up Young for being one of the fastest players in NBA history to reach 12,000 points and 4,000 assists before going at him for his poor defense:
"I'm with you. You're the fastest person to 12,000 points and to 4,000 assists… And you get scored on the most in the NBA. Empty stats, we call it. That's the truth. That is the hard truth, bro. Use it as motivation. And it's going to be motivation because, you know, you got on your platform, you said your thing, you popped your s--t. I'm glad that you did. I appreciate that—it makes sense. You got a sense of fire in you. But the truth is the truth, bro. You don't win. And until you start winning, that's when your word can become bigger."
The video continues with Beverley taking exception to the fact that Young dared to engage with him because he "would have let it slide" if it were "any other All-Star," but Young hasn't done anything when compared to some of the other notable stars in the league who are subject to criticism:
"We criticize Russell Westbrook, a two-time MVP—people call him "Westbrick." We criticize LeBron James, right? We criticize all these people. Who the f--k said you can't be criticized? Like, you haven't done anything. So, until you've done something—yes, you have to be criticized. And you should appreciate it, because the criticism isn't coming from a player who hasn't played. It's coming from somebody who's shared the floor with you, left a mark in the NBA."
Beverley also seemed to be upset that videos of Young working out all seem to be away from the Hawks' facilities because he's played on clubs where the superstar player is always working out where the team practices:
"I come to the Lakers facility—LeBron is there at 5:00 AM. I come to Milwaukee Bucks facility—Greek Freak is already there. James Harden—he's there for practice and comes back again at night. You're the only person we see on the internet—never at your practice facility. It's wild. If we're going to be real—let's be real. You're not a great leader. Can you be a great leader? Yes. Will it take this? Probably so."
This video from Beverley was in response to a 12-minute video post from Young on Wednesday that went at the 37-year-old for things like not being informed about his relationship with teammates to Beverley "standing on the scorer's table acting like it's a championship" while celebrating a play-in tournament win.
This whole thing started last week when Young responded to a post in which Beverley was critical about the way players don't really engage with the All-Star Game as a serious endeavor.
That led to Beverley going on his podcast to say he's heard from some of Young's former teammates that they "don't think he's a good leader" and didn't enjoy playing with him.
Young's engagement with this whole situation comes at a time when the Hawks might have some questions about his ability to be their long-term face of the franchise.
The team reportedly hasn't even broached the topic of a contract extension, even though Young is entering the final guaranteed year of his current deal. He does hold a $49 million player option for 2026-27.
There is going to be a lot of pressure on Young and the Hawks this season because most analysts agree they had one of the best offseasons of any team in the NBA after adding Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kristaps Porziņģis and Luke Kennard.
