The Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers are always going to be bitter rivals on the court, but things have really been kicked up a notch now that two of the league’s most intense personalities, Nick Nurse and Patrick Beverley, are in town to slow down Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby.
Despite Toronto’s 4-0 run in the preseason and Siakam coming off the finest year of his individual career, Beverley didn’t seem too concerned about the Raptors on the latest episode of his podcast.
Never one to back down from a microphone and project his strength, Beverley doesn’t seem to believe the Raptors are a team that Philadelphia or anyone else needs to worry about. His criteria are, naturally, completely made up, and isn’t going to have any Raptors shaking in their boots.
“If I see Siakam or Anunoby down a dark alley, I don’t feel threatened,” Beverley said during a segment in which he criticized the lack of “dogs” on Toronto’s roster. Beverley is never one to back down from a challenge, but these quotes have significant potential for blowback.
Pat Bev isn't scared of the Raptors 😅
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 23, 2023
(via @PatBevPod) pic.twitter.com/mJevBvhtXh
Patrick Beverley has a foolish take on Toronto Raptors, Pascal Siakam
While it feels foolish to respond to someone who is using no empirical data to back up his claim and is going off nothing except his emotions and feelings, Beverley and those who agree with this take need to be shown how emphatically incorrect their takes on the Raptors’ situation are.
Siakam is an All-NBA-level power forward at the peak of his powers who can score from all three levels, be a primary offensive initiator, and play well when the lights shine brightest. The valuable Anunoby remains one of the more underrated and unheralded players in the league, and Scottie Barnes promises to be much better this season.
Beverley and the 76ers are projected to be a much better team than Toronto, partially due to Nurse seizing control. However, with the James Harden saga dragging into the regular season and Philly’s depth lacking, they aren’t in a position to push Toronto aside as a pushover.
Beverley is never going to be silenced, and he is the type of player that 29 other fanbases will hate when he’s not on their team. Still, taking shots at Anunoby and Siakam out of nowhere may be viewed as an ill-timed bear poke if Darko Rajakovic’s new-look offense takes down Philly.