Lance Stephenson tells ESPN.com he’s ready to work
With training camp starting on Saturday, players’ comments to the media have been uncovering a clearer picture of the vision for the New Orleans Pelicans. Lance Stephenson’s comments this week to ESPN.com were the latest example.
It’s wild to think of the New Orleans Pelicans’ newest addition Lance Stephenson as a journeyman, but that’s just what he’s become. Having already spent time with four organizations over seven seasons, the Pelicans will make it five in eight seasons. Following a prolific and successful first contract with the Indiana Pacers, Stephenson parlayed that performance into a nice 3-year, $27 million deal from the Charlotte Hornets in 2014. It would not last.
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After struggling to play off the ball and stay effective in an unfamiliar scheme as the third or fourth banana, Stephenson flamed out of Charlotte. Last year, he split time between the Clippers and Grizzlies, where his usage ballooned and his individual numbers flourished. Unfortunately, that was only enough to earn $100 thousand in guaranteed money from New Orleans this summer. But you know all that.
You also know about the ear blowing, the rebound stealing, the prep school dominance, and the motor mouth. The Lance Stephenson experience, when at full capacity, is among the most fascinating subplots in the NBA. Speaking with ESPN.com’s Justin Verrier, Lance was able to elucidate his decision to join the Pelicans and reiterate his values as a player (that is, in the time he found to step away from the newest NBA 2K game featuring his ex-teammate George as the coverboy).
Stephenson sites his inspirations as Chris Paul, Paul George, and Paul Pierce, all versatile scorers with an eye for efficiency and victory. By moving through the league in a blaze of glory, the Seven Degrees of Lance has begun to take effect. He’s connected to so many different styles and personnel chains at this point that keeping count is impossible.
To hear Lance tell it, he was in contact with the Pelicans even before the Jrue Holiday situation reared its unfortunate head. Inspired by his success as the primary ball-handler late in the season for the Grizzlies, Stephenson appears comfortable operating within that role for the Pelicans. Verrier pushed him about his occasionally difficult fit in roles that asked him to push his game, such as playing out of the corner for the Clippers. Lance was again appreciative, stating that his natural ability to make plays for his teammates has played nicely off of savvy play by his amazing teammates. The stylings of guys like Tony Allen and Chris Paul are visible when watching Lance play.
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Having to leave a perennial Eastern Conference finalist in Indy taught Lance something valuable as well: that the business always trumps the story. Eventually, the risk outweighed the reward for Larry Bird and his front office, and Stephenson left town. It’s been an uphill climb back to respectability since.
Yet even considering all of that, Lance believes he has something to give the Pelicans this year and beyond; having won at each level, he sees himself as a positive influence on the youngsters in the Pelicans’ program. Stephenson is, by all accounts, an incredibly hard worker, and his improvements from second-rounder to near- All Star support that notion, and are honestly inspiring. There’s no reason to doubt that Lance has earned his spot in this league, even if that spot is shrinking by the day.
However, Lance truly believes he can make a difference in New Orleans, and it’s tempting to believe him. Out several ball-handlers from injury or inconsistency, he’ll provide immediate value for a team looking to push the pace. He’s a better defender than nearly every other option, and can get to the hoop consistently. And now, you can add grizzled veteran to that list of benefits; by playing his way in and out of rotations across the league, Stephenson ought to now know the perils of slippage or contentment. Hard work is what got him here, and hard work is what will get him out of the rut.
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For the Pelicans, the bet is that it truly is a rut, and that the original Lance is somewhere in the deep recesses of his basketball brain. When talent meets perseverance, great things usually result.