Pacers player review: Lance Stephenson cannot be explained

Lance Stephenson’s homecoming came in the 11th hour, but at least it wasn’t boring. Let’s look back at his short stint with the Pacers.

This season was rough. There’s no way around it. But, after almost breaking one of the most inconsistently consistent streaks of all time, there was a silver lining.  With the season going no where and injuries taking their toll, Larry Bird made his best move since drafting Myles Turner (Thad trade is a close second): bringing back Lance Stephenson.

Lance made an immediate impact on a team that severely lacked energy and toughness. These two traits are a staple of Lance as a player. He doesn’t back down from anyone or anything. He plays it close to the edge without quite going over. Every team needs a guy like Lance, and the Pacers found that out firsthand.

Not only did Lance make an expected impact on the intangibles, but he also brought more game than most would have expected. Stephenson came in and instantly played a huge role for this Pacer squad down the stretch. He looked fresh, invigorated and excited to be back playing for the team that drafted him and the city that loves him.

Significant Digits

62.5 percent from 3-point range

With six games remaining in the Pacers season and on the brink of elimination from the playoffs, the newly acquired Stephenson became a sniper from long range. Kyle Korver in Lance Stephenson’s body? Maybe not quite, but that’s still incredibly impressive for a guy not exactly known for his shooting from distance.

16 points in 26.8 minutes per game

Not only did Lance provide a boost in the last six games of the regular season, but he also then went on to play a huge role in the playoffs. Playing starter minutes at both guard positions, Nate McMillan clearly had a hard taking Stephenson off the floor.

In addition to playing huge minutes for a guy just signed a couple weeks ago, Lance poured in the third most points per game for the Pacers besides Paul George and Jeff Teague.

Lance Stephenson’s Season Summed up in One Archer GIF

If you followed the Indiana Pacers, you needed a sense of humor. Laugh so you don’t cry. And what’s funnier than Archer? Nothing. Nothing is the answer.

Sweatin’ Bullets

Sweatin’ Bullets is an 8p9s tradition started by Jonny Auping in which we offer standalone facts, observations, and commentary, often devoid of context or fairness.

• Lance Stephenson was Indiana’s second-best player in the NBA Playoffs
• He will turn out to be Larry’s best free agent signing (yes, better than David West)
• That’s because the #LanceEffect will be a key selling point in keeping PG in Indy
• Stephenson will be the starting SG at the start of the 2017-18 season

One Key Question

Could new Lance be better than old Lance?

The Situation: We only saw Lance Stephenson for a few games, but what we saw was pretty remarkable. Is it realistic that this is the real Lance going forward?

Best-case Scenario: He starts at one of the guard positions while averaging 10-15 points per game and has one of his best years ever in a Pacers uniform. He plays a key role for a top three team in the East.

Worst-case Scenario: PG gets traded and Lance reverts to “Charlotte Lance” while shooting below 25 percent from 3-point range. He’s nothing more than a decent scorer on a sub-par team.

Next: Pacers Postmortems: Al Jefferson

Prediction: Trending towards the best-case scenario (assuming George is in a Pacer uniform at the beginning of next season). Stephenson starts at shooting guard while averaging around 11-12 points per game on a team fighting to be in the top four of the east. It’s not quite peak Lance, but it’s very, very close.