Apr 14, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley (21) drives to the basket around Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the second quarter at KIA Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

'Talking About A Player Who’s Waving Around Guns': Patrick Beverley Lauds Taylor Jenkins Dealing With Ja Morant’s Off-Court Issues

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Dan Agulto | Last updated Apr 3, 2025 11:20 AM ET

Patrick Beverley tipped his hat to former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins for the job he did while in Memphis. The team’s decision to fire Jenkins was met with skepticism, with some even pointing fingers at Ja Morant, who was reportedly unhappy with his offensive system, as the reason for his termination.

It was unusual to see a team—especially a top-four-seeded team—fire their head coach with the playoffs less than ten games away. In the latest edition of “The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone,” Patrick Beverley sang Jenkins his praises for putting up with Morant’s off-the-court antics as well as being able to win games without him.

“It’s hard for a coach to win games, to win most of his games without Ja Morant, and be the No. 1 or the No. 2 seed,” Patrick Beverley said. “He has to deal with Ja Morant on and off the court, talking about a player who’s waving around guns—possibly not knowing, maybe goes to jail.”

Pat Bev says Taylor Jenkins was in a tough spot, not knowing whether Ja Morant would be going to jail or not

“He has to deal with Ja Morant on and off the court, talking about a player who’s waving around guns—possibly not knowing, maybe goes to jail.”

pic.twitter.com/nnPCwm1Emv

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) April 2, 2025

Morant has been suspended on separate occasions for waving guns on social media. His fans have raised concerns about his off-court demeanor, with some former and current NBA players urging him to instead focus on his basketball career.

Patrick Beverley picks James Harden over Dwyane Wade

In another controversial take, on the March 27 episode of his podcast, Patrick Beverley picked James Harden over Dwyane Wade as the basketball star with a better career, saying Harden had better longevity.

“I’ve seen the comparison with James Harden and [Dwyane Wade],” Beverley said. “While I’m taking James Harden over D-Wade, it’s only because of longevity, right? Between those years, it was something that we got from the older generation, the guys who played before us.”

Apr 14, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley (21) drives to the basket against Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac (1) during the second quarter at KIA Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

While Beverley believes Harden has a better career than Wade, it is worth noting that Harden is yet to win a championship ring while Wade won three in his career and had also been named NBA Finals MVP. By the number of championships under their belt alone, one could argue against Beverley and say Wade had a better career than Harden.

Apr 14, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Patrick Beverley (21) drives to the basket against Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero (5) during the second quarter at KIA Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-USA TODAY Sports

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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