A question coming into this season is whether the Indiana Pacers are getting the good Lance Stephenson or the one who struggled once he left.
Never change, Lance Stephenson.
The Lance Effect was in full effect on Wednesday as he scored 17 points while finding time for 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals in a win over the Milwaukee Bucks. Despite coming off the bench he managed to tie Myles Turner for the game-high in points while still making sure his teammates got the ball as well.
This is the Lance Stephenson the Indiana Pacers need. A big question coming into this season is whether the Pacers will get the one we’ve seen in blue and gold before or the one who struggled in his other NBA stops. So far, he picked up from where he left off last season when he rejoined the team in April.
Stephenson distributing the ball is just as important as his scoring. Even with Cory Joseph on the floor, the Pacers need more than one player who can pass the ball around on the second unit. Joseph never got things going against the Bucks, but Lance might be the reason for that as well. Either way, Indiana needs more than one player handing out assists.
A good example of this came early in the second quarter when Stephenson took the ball at the top of the key and proceeded to slice the defense in half. A precise bounce pass to Domantas Sabonis led to an easy basket as the Pacers pushed their lead while the starters were resting.
Stephenson ➡️ Sabonis https://t.co/fWjQ5GOgiK
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) October 5, 2017
The second unit is going to make mistakes and struggle but this version of Lance Stephenson can make them entertaining and productive offensively.
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Stephenson’s energy and style push his teammates as we saw last season when he gave a jolt of life to the Pacers in the final games. Lance often goes Leeroy Jenkins into the heart of the defense and either creates a play for Indiana or a turnover. Either way, that’s entertaining.
Lance being Lance comes with headaches, too. He’s going to make some bad fouls and be in the wrong spot on defense at times, but he more often than not makes up for his mistakes. Last season the Pacers played better when he was on the floor and we’re likely to see him spend time with the starting lineup when he is under control.
Wednesday’s game was an example of the good Stephenson brings to the team, but one still must wonder if he is headed for a letdown. We’ve only seen him play 11 games since returning to the Pacers. Despite all the fun, that’s not enough time to know if somehow the state of Indiana is the source of his power and everything is fine. It’s easy to forget he was signing 10-day contracts and getting cut by other teams before he returned.
Next: DON'T TELL ME IT WAS JUST ONE PRESEASON GAME
For now, we can enjoy Lance Stephenson as a force for good on the Indiana Pacers.