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Lance Stephenson: “When I got that jersey on, I just got powers.”

By Ben Gibson

CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 26: Lance Stephenson #1 of the Indiana Pacers drives down court during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on January 26, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JANUARY 26: Lance Stephenson #1 of the Indiana Pacers drives down court during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena on January 26, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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Lance Stephenson joined NBA TV’s Game Time to talk about why the best years of his career have been in an Indiana Pacers jersey.

Lance Stephenson dropped by NBA TV’s Game Time on Tuesday night and left us with a great quote that Indiana Pacers fans will love.

When asked why the best years of his career have come in a Pacers jersey, he had a simple and perfectly Lance Stephenson response.

“When I got that jersey on, I got powers.”

A quote like that sounds like hyperbole, but when you look at the numbers, only one of his non-Indiana Pacers stops looks better on paper.

Some of Stephenson’s early seasons with the Pacers suppress his averages, but during his final two seasons (2012-2014) in his first stint with the team, he scored 11.8 points per a game on 47.8% shooting, as well as 34.3% from long range.

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He also grabbed 5.7 rebounds and handed out 3.9 assists a game in those years. Thanks to stealing a rebound or two, Stephenson’s five career triple-doubles were all with the Pacers, and only three of his 27 career double-doubles came away from Indiana.

Only his 26 game stint with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2016 appears better, as Stephenson scored 14.2 points per a game while making 47.4% of his shots. Those 11.8 shots per a game were the highest average of his career.

However, unlike those Eastern Conference Finals years with the Pacers, the Grizzlies were better off with him off the floor, as far as on/off numbers are concerned. In Memphis, his usage rate was much higher while only getting slightly more production than those peak Pacers seasons.

Per Game Table
SeasonTmLgGGSMPFGFGAFG%3P3PA3P%eFG%FT%TRBASTSTLBLKTOVPTS
CareerNBA41819524.63.57.9.4480.62.0.309.488.6864.33.00.70.11.78.8
6 seasonsINDNBA27615725.83.67.9.4580.82.3.326.506.6784.73.10.70.11.79.1
1 seasonCHONBA612525.83.49.0.3760.31.7.171.393.6274.53.90.60.12.18.2
1 seasonLACNBA431015.81.93.9.4940.41.1.404.551.7002.51.40.60.11.14.7
1 seasonMEMNBA26326.65.611.8.4740.41.2.355.492.8154.42.80.70.21.814.2
1 seasonMINNBA6011.21.73.5.4760.00.3.000.476.5001.70.80.00.00.73.5
1 seasonNOPNBA6027.04.39.2.4730.21.7.100.482.6253.04.80.30.21.89.7

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/28/2018

Stephenson’s best advanced numbers came during that period, too. A 1.7 box plus-minus score beats out all his other stops, and a 55% True shooting percentage is better than at his other stops.

Next: Report: Pacers to sign Trevor Booker for the rest of the season

It’s hard to explain exactly why this is the case for Lance Stephenson, but the Indiana Pacers are glad to have him.

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