Lance Stephenson: Is the #LanceEffect Fact or Fiction for the Indiana Pacers?

Lance Stephenson has been a positive force for the Indiana Pacers, but is he living up to the hype?

When Lance Stephenson rejoined the Indiana Pacers this season the fans fell into two camps: One that welcomed Born Ready into the fold, and one that questioned if Larry Bird was playing an early April Fools Day prank on everyone.

It is easy to forget that Stephenson was laying in his bed a few weeks ago wondering if anyone was going to sign him this offseason, much less in the final days of this regular season. If he and Bird didn’t have the relationship they have, his time with the Timberwolves could have been his last in a NBA uniform.

But now, it is clear that signing Stephenson was the right move to give the Pacers a kick in the butt as they fought for a playoff spot. You can’t quantify Lance’s attitude or how he adds an edge to your team.

You can, however, quantify his statistical impact. One of my questions through his eight games with the Pacers is whether the so-called #LanceEffect was more than just a hashtag or if his actual impact was less impactful than it appeared.

The #LanceEffect

When you look at the points per a possession from the six regular season games Indiana played with Stephenson, you’ll find the Pacers ranked third the NBA. Prior to Lance, they were ranked 15th in the NBA.

But was that just the team kicking in gear as they pushed for the playoffs

No, or at least it wasn’t only that. According to data from NBAwowy.com, when Lance shares the floor with Paul George, Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, or Lavoy Allen, their numbers jump up to elite or near-elite levels. Compared to their regular season numbers before Stephenson, these players go from being an average to great, on a individual level at least.

Even when you take into account their time before Lance, Paul George’s March Madness, and how they are playing without Stephenson now, they all still see a bump in their numbers.

Paul George is great with or without Lance Stephenson, but he gets a boost from Lance, or at least is playing better with Stephenson on the court. Playoff Paul George was going to happen, but Stephenson is making this annual phenomenon even better.

More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds

We’ve seen how Stephenson helps Thad be better when he drives to the rim and forces defenders to gravitate Stephenson’s way. Those drives to the basket have ended up in the hands of Young more than anyone else so far.

There are some drawbacks, though. Stephenson does have a negative statistical impact on Myles Turner.

There are only so many shots to go around, and Myles is one of the players who isn’t benefiting from the presence of Born Ready.

C.J. Miles actually is slightly less efficient sharing the floor with Stephenson as well, but his points per a possession with Lance are still very high. Hell, C.J.’s been one of the best players as far as creating points when he’s on the floor no matter what set of games we look at.

It is worth noting that Lavoy Allen has played a limited number of possessions compared to Lance’s time the starters, so even though his numbers take a major jump, it is harder to know for sure if that’s sustainable in any way.

Another funny wrinkle is despite the friendship of Stephenson and Kevin Seraphin, the first-year Pacer actually plays worse when together with Lance on the floor.. It might be worth a deeper dive into the lineups to see which combinations bring out the best in both, but we’ll save that for another day.

Overall, though, the team is better when Lance Stephenson is on the floor. The defense hasn’t been as good, but that’s also including three games against the high-octane Cleveland Cavaliers

Next: 3 Keys for The Pacers to Take the Series Back

There will still be moments where Lance Stephenson makes moves that make you scratch your head, but so far, there have been more moments where you sit back and enjoy what he does for the Indiana Pacers.

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