Patrick Beverley gets the starting lineup nod from Billy Donovan in his debut with the Chicago Bulls on Friday night.
He will start at point guard over Ayo Dosunmu, who has started 49 games this season. Beverley has started in 45 games this season while with the Los Angeles Lakers.
When asked about the possibility of Beverley starting over him, Dosunmu answered as a true professional and team player.
“We all want to win," Dosunmu said to NBC Sports Chicago. "Coach (Billy) Donovan always does a great job with his rotations of putting guys out there to be successful. So I trust in my abilities to help the team win. We have 23 games left. The most important thing is to get in the win column so we can try to make the playoffs.”
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Beverley has gained quick respect from the Bulls, who have voiced their appreciation for his tenacity on the floor, along with the effort and energy he's given to his past teams.
This season, Beverley has penned 6.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in just under 27 minutes per game. He's held a positive value under his defensive box plus/minus for this season, and the entirety of his career.
Giving him the start over the sophomore Dosunmu is a reasonable choice for the recent signee, as the Bulls head into their first game after the All-Star break.
“I was trying to get Pat here at least a year or two ago," LaVine said to NBC Sports Chicago on Feb. 22. "Been texting him. We used to be at the same agency. He’s somebody you hate to play against but love as a teammate. You know what he brings, the type of mentality he brings. We’ve been missing that."
Beverley will join the starting corps against the Brooklyn Nets, who handed the Bulls a head-scratching loss on Feb. 9 amid the Nets trading away Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant; reinforcements from the Durant trade (Mikal Bridges and Cam Johnson) watched from the sidelines.
Patrick Williams will also shift to a reserve role, as Alex Caruso slides into the starting lineup along with LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic on Friday night.