Indiana Pacers: 10 best shooting guards in Indiana Pacers history
By Josh Wilson
5. Mike Dunleavy Jr.
While Mike Dunleavy Jr.’s statistical performance with the Golden State Warriors was impactful, it wasn’t enough to lead the Warriors to the postseason in his entire time with the team.
Traded to the Indiana Pacers in the 2006-07 season, he would miss on the playoffs in the first few years with Indiana, too, and just barely was a part of the start of the Paul George era, becoming a free agent following George’s rookie season.
With the Pacers, Dunleavy was a solid shooter, hitting 37.5 percent of his 3-point attempts, averaging 14.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Over the course of his five seasons with the team, he amassed nearly 20 win shares.
The Pacers were stuck in a quick rut of mediocrity, sitting 176-234 during his time with the team.
Dunleavy averaged 14.0 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. For the most part, he served a role off the bench but occasionally was worked into the starting lineup.
4. Lance Stephenson
Don’t get it twisted, Lance Stephenson is much more than a meme.
A staunch defender on some of the most competitive Pacers teams in NBA history, Stephenson solidified his place in the minds of Pacers fans with notable, lock-down defense on LeBron James, and capped off his lock-down defense with a very memorable moment, blowing on LeBron’s face in Game 6 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals.
Beyond the meme, Stephenson’s defense was tangible. In that Game 6 where the Pacers needed to win to survive, James went 2-for-10 and logged just 7 points. It was a game that epitomized exactly what Stephenson’s role was on the team.
While he was never absent on the offensive end, his marketable quality was his defense. In six seasons with the Pacers, Stephenson averaged 9.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game, logging 14.2 win shares.
He never quite panned out into a substantial role with other franchises, the Pacers often felt like a perfect match for him.
Stephenson, who spent 2019-20 playing overseas in China, was rumored to be an option for the Pacers in the free agency market to retool for the playoffs, but coronavirus has obviously put that on hold.