HOUSTON – Houston Rockets guard Patrick Beverley was named NBA All-Defensive First Team as selected by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
He is the fourth different player in franchise history to earn All-Defensive First Team honors and the first since Scottie Pippen in 1998-99. It is the second time Beverley has been named to an All-Defensive Team, having earned Second Team distinction in 2013-14.
Despite missing 15 games in 2016-17, Beverley still ranked tied for sixth in the league in charges taken and was third amongst guards. He was also one of eight players with at least 200 deflections and 100 loose balls recovered, and the only one to do so in fewer than 75 games played.
Beverley helped the Rockets rank fourth in 3-point defense in 2016-17 (opponents 34.3%) after Houston finished 21st in 2015-16 (opponents 36.1%).
The Rockets were 26-5 when holding opponents below 33.3% shooting from behind-the-arc this past season.
In his fifth season, Beverley averaged a career-high 5.9 rebounds and became the seventh different player in NBA history listed 6’1” or shorter to average at least 5.5 rpg in a single season with at least 40 games played: Bob Cousy (6 times), Guy Rodgers (3 times), Chris Paul (once), Rajon Rondo (once), Norm Van Lier (once), and Lenny Wilkens (once). Beverley grabbed 10-plus boards 10 times in 2016-17 after doing so five times his first four seasons combined.
In addition, Beverley averaged 1.48 steals, helping the Rockets rank fourth in the league in turnovers forced (opponents 15.1 tpg). From the start of December through the end of the season, Houston ranked third in the NBA with 8.50 spg after averaging just 7.00 spg the first 18 games, of which Beverley missed 11.
