by Austin Peters
May 17, 2012. It's a Thursday night in Indianapolis. Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Pacers and the Miami Heat is underway. Late in the third quarter, LeBron James steps to the free throw line with his Heat team down 11 in the game and tied 1-1 in the series. The Pacers' Danny Granger had just received a technical foul after disagreeing with an official and LeBron was chosen to shoot the technical free throw. With Bankers Life Fieldhouse packed and rowdy, James proceeds to miss the technical free throw. As the fans go wild after seeing the MVP miss, a young 21 year old kid walks off the Pacer bench and puts his hands around his neck. Lance Stephenson, who had barely played in his first two seasons in the league, had mocked the greatest player on the planet with the infamous Reggie Miller choke sign. Who does this kid think he is? He has barely cracked 10 minutes per game his first two years in the league and he is making fun of best player in the world?
Born Ready
This was the first time that people really got to see Lance on the national stage and in the spotlight. Before that, Lance was a known commodity in high school among the mixtape crowd as a physical specimen who imposed his will and bullied high school guards while having the handle and shake of a lead guard. Stephenson played for Lincoln High School in Coney Island, NY, a school that produced the likes of Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair. He led Lincoln to four NY city championships while also overtaking Telfair's career points record. His senior year, he was a McDonald's All-American and selected to try out for Team USA's U18 squad. After a whirlwind recruiting adventure, Lance ended up at Cincinnati where he became the Big East freshman of the year, averaging 12.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He shocked many by declaring for the NBA Draft that summer, being picked 40th overall by the Pacers.
There has always been controversy surrounding Stephenson. He was suspended in high school for getting into an altercation with a teammate. His recruitment was a never ending tale of uncertainty due to his ongoing sexual assault case that was adjourned on June 29, well after the spring signing period had ended. He was selected to tryout for Team USA's U18 team but was cut because of "chemistry issues." Even throughout his four years in the league, Lance has never seemed to quite grow up. The Pacers always knew that he was a talented player, but early on Lance just couldn't put it together. He was arrested in 2010 for allegedly pushing his girlfriend down a flight of stairs. The Pacers demoted him to the D-League in his rookie season, citing "immaturity issues" as the reason for sending him down. Along with the choke sign, Lance has had several other moments that have made people come to hate him.
I don't think it is a secret to any of you that Lance is one of my favorite players in the NBA. There are very few players in the league that are as exciting, for good and bad reasons. One possession, he jukes somebody out of their shoes then the next, he chucks the ball into a completely empty space that no one occupies. He is never afraid of anyone and always seems to welcome a challenge, no matter who the opponent is (Lance is famous for trying to take LeBron one-on-one during games). Whenever Lance takes the court, you know there is about to be a show. A lot of people like to bash Lance for all of the stupid decisions he makes and some of the antics he pulls. If we are talking strictly basketball, Lance is among the NBA's most dynamic and impactful players in the league.
The Good
Lance enjoyed somewhat of a breakout season last year with the Pacers as their number two option. He was second on the team in scoring with 13.8 per game and actually led the team in rebounds and assists with 7.2 and 4.6 respectively. He led the entire league in triple-doubles last season with five while also finishing second in Most Improved Player voting. He did all of this despite only having a usage rate of 19%*, an extremely low mark compared to other All-Star caliber guys in the league.
Just like in high school, Lance has continued his success at getting to the rim due to his size and athleticism. He is built like a truck at 6'6", 230 lbs. As a two guard, he is physically superior to his peers and his versatility allows him to guard most other team's threes. Lance shot an insane 70%** on shots in the restricted area this season. His size allows him to bulldoze and finish through contact in the paint. He is a freight train in transition, running through anyone that gets in his way. He also has great body control in the air, hanging and maneuvering around defenders that leap with him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtrnO543pgg
An underrated part of Lance's game is that he is strong enough to take guys to the post. He uses this to pass it out to open guys as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfpxSUGqcXc
Speaking of passing, Lance has several skills that nobody else on the Pacers brought to the table. A lot of people like to peg Lance as "selfish" but that simply is absurd and fault. He led his team in assists last season and moved the ball better than anyone else on the Pacers. The team numbers Indy had when Lance was on the court versus off the court were staggering. The Pacers had one of the worst offenses in basketball after February 1st and when Lance sat, their offensive rating numbers were even worse. Guys like Paul George and David West saw their field goal percentages and efficiency numbers decline when Stephenson went to the bench. Lance got a lot of run as the primary ball handler and offense creator. He was top 40 in the league in points created by an assist per game, a stat that shows how many points he accounted for his team via an assist. When he was on the floor, they often looked to him to generate offense for himself and others.
Where he improved and excelled most in this regard was in the pick and roll. Due to his ability to attack the rim, lots of teams had to double or help off of ball screens which led to a lot of Lance-to-David West/Luis Scola pick and pop mid range jumpers. He was also top 40 in the league when it came to team ppg off drive, a stat that tracks the amount of points Lance accounts for per game when he drives. When teams had to send that third defender, he would also make the correct pass to the open shooter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQPY2Fh8PqI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBAZtij2PaA
Lance has enjoyed steady three point percentage raises each season, with Lance's being a career high 35.2% this year, a mark right at league average. He isn't a lights out shooter, but he is respectable enough to keep the defense honest, opening up driving lines and helping him blow by guys that close out on him. Lance is creative, skilled, and explosive and was more than likely the most important part of the Indiana offense.
It will be interesting to see how Steve Clifford fits Lance within the Charlotte system. Putting him in the backourt alongside another creative player like Kemba Walker will be intriguing. This will also test Lance's ability to carry more of a load on offense. While Indiana didn't have a post up beast like Al Jefferson, they did have good spot up shooters like Paul George, George Hill, CJ Watson, David West, and Luis Scola to space the floor for Lance when he is doing his thing off the dribble. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist might be one of the most horrific jump shooters in the league and Kemba is only good coming off the dribble in mid range. Kemba is in the bottom third of the league in catch and shoot field goal % (36.3%) and was mediocre when it comes to spot up threes (34.2%... and for kicks and giggless, MKG is fourth to last in spot up percentage. For whoever is wondering...). If Josh McRoberts was still on this team, I would absolutely love the Lance fit because of McRoberts ability to stretch the floor and bury threes. Charlotte will most likely try to recreate McRoberts production by playing Indiana products Cody Zeller and Noah Vonleh, but only time will tell if these guys can develop the type of skills the Hornets need. My guess is Marvin Williams, a guy they signed this offseason who found a niche being a stretch four in Utah last season, will get a lot of run late in games to help space the floor.
Defensively, this is a team that is going to flat out frighten people. Lance fits right in next to MKG in what might be one of the best wing defending combinations in the whole entire league. Lance especially is an animal, big enough to guard and harass positions 1-3 due to his size and 6'10" wingspan. That length keeps people from getting around him and contains guys off the dribble. He makes JR Smith look absolutely stupid on this steal at half court.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p81JBNwUqQA
Watching this Charlotte team will be fun because they added an elite defender to a team that finished in the top 10 in defensive efficiency last season. Steve Clifford proved to be a defensive general last year and hopefully he can get Lance to buy into their disciplined principles.
The Bad
I like to call this the "Russell Westbrook" effect. Everybody likes to harp on Russell Westbrook for the things he does bad more than they like to point out the good that Westbrook does. The guys that fall into this category are more known for the mistakes they make because when they screw up, it is usually laughable. Lance definitely makes this category.
I praised Lance for his creativity as a ball handler and a passer but there are also lots of times that Lance makes himself look ridiculous. He gets into trouble sometimes over dribbling, running the shot clock down and then forcing himself to take a bad shot. While Lance is fun to watch in transition, there are plays where he likes to think he can take on the world and go against the whole other team by himself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlKuUP5SyDc
A lot of the plays that people refer to when they dog on Lance is his crazy ideas that end up going nowhere or becoming a turnover. He likes to be flashy with his dribbling and passing, faking out his teammates instead of the defense at times. Like I said above, a decent chunk of these plays are so horrendously dumb that it makes him look like he shouldn't belong on the court.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIoX3nSBt6U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gvztca9XeII
This isn't even including all of the things that really infuriate people. You've probably seen the countless amounts of memes and vines after he blew into LeBron's ear during a playoff game. While I thought it was hilarious when he walked into Erik Spoelstra's huddle, others probably didn't find that very funny. Other things include his flopping and the ridiculous play where he smacked Norris Cole in the face. While Lance does a lot of great things for his team, I can understand how it might be hard for people to look past all of the extra unnecessary shenanigans that take place.
Bottom Line
Despite all of the baggage Lance seems to bring, he might be on the verge of being one of the elite players in the NBA. In a league where top notch wing players are scarce, Lance has the capability to really excel and make multiple All-Star games. He was clearly a snub last season and in a weak Eastern Conference, he should be one of the front runners to lock up a reserve spot next year. Being a top option in Charlotte will help that cause. Lance will automatically come in and be able to add scoring as well as contribute to an already terrifying defense. The fact that Chandler Parsons and Gordon Hayward got max contracts this offseason and Lance only made $9 million a year makes him a steal for Charlotte. It is really confusing as to why he took that offer and not the Pacers' offer, which had more guaranteed years and barely less money than what Lance is making next year. I'm sure this departure hurts even worse now after the Paul George injury (I won't go into that because the topic has been beaten to death the last week). Whatever the case may be, having a borderline All-Star talent that is only 23 years old and coming off of two seasons in which he got exponentially better is highway robbery for that contract. The Pacers' loss is the Hornets' gain. My hope is that you all will look forward to watching Lance breakout next season as much as I am.
*Usage rate via ESPN.com
**All advanced stats via NBA.com
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