Patrick Beverley is exactly what the Bucks needed to fix some of their awful defensive woes

Milwaukee could have desperately used PatBev on defense this season.

The Milwaukee Bucks have taken a massive step back on defense this season but made a move to fix that by trading for Patrick Beverley.

Milwaukee’s defensive identity changed considerably after trading away Jrue Holiday to land Damian Lillard. That hurt their chances to contend for a title, though adding Beverley at the NBA trade deadline could turn that around.

Beverley isn’t the player that he once was back when he earned NBA All-Defensive honors and would occasionally receive votes for Defensive Player of the Year.

He has shown significant offensive regression and is shooting a career-worst on 3-pointers. While he isn’t as appealing as someone like Kris Dunn, who was reportedly an option, Beverley didn’t come at a very high cost for the Bucks.

Fortunately for Milwaukee, though, his impact as a defender is still very real and the metrics prove as much. His defensive estimated plus-minus (d-EPM) ranks in the 83rd percentile, per dunksandthrees.com.

Beverley still regularly guards the best players on the other team with a high degree of success. He has significant playoff experience and isn’t scared of a big moment.

Milwaukee needed someone like Beverley for the postseason and he can add legitimate value as a presence on the defensive end of the floor.