New 76ers guard Patrick Beverley is giving one of his team’s rivals plenty of bulletin board material going into next season.
During the latest episode of his Barstool Sports podcast, “The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone,” the NBA star threw shade at the Celtics when a fan asked about Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown winning a title in Boston together.
Beverley’s response is sure to get noticed in Boston.
“No,” Beverley said. “Too much of the same player. They don’t complement each other enough.
“They complement each other but not enough.”
The outspoken 76er also pointed out where the Celtics should look to improve.
Some of the areas he pointed out were to “add a defensive point guard, 3-and-D guy, or a stretch five.”
He did bend a little when it was pointed out that the Celtics added Kristaps Porzingis during the offseason.
“With Porzingis, you guys will be a lot better,” Beverley said.
The questions have remained about how viable it is for the Celtics to finally win their first NBA title since 2008, especially with Tatum and Brown as the team’s centerpieces.
Boston has been to the playoffs in each of the last six seasons and made it all the way to the conference finals four of those times.
They reached the NBA Finals in 2022 but lost to the Golden State Warriors in six games.
The Celtics are confident that they have the tandem that can help get them back to the promised land.
They even went as far as to extend Brown to a five-year, $303.7 million supermax deal.
Boston is among the favorites to contend for a title this year, even without Beverley’s vote of confidence.
But the guard’s criticisms are sure to make the meetings between Boston and Philly plenty interesting this year.