The Indiana Pacers just completed a 25-57 season, featuring substantial roster changes and just four players who played 50+ games. The team will likely be looking to make changes this coming NBA offseason after a disappointing record. One player, though, recently spoke with hope on his future with the team.
Asked about his future with the team, guard Lance Stephenson said “I definitely want to be here, so I’m ready. Let’s make it happen.”
Lance Stephenson, an experienced 31-year-old shooting guard, will be heading into the tenth season of his up-and-down career this offseason. Stephenson’s career has had many memorable moments and has included roles on eight different teams. The guard always seems to find himself back with Indiana, though.
Stephenson has in fact only played more than one season with one franchise: the Pacers. In three separate stints with the team, Stephenson has played 338 games, averaging 9.1 points, 3.1 assists, and 4.4 rebounds per game.
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The Pacers initially gave Stephenson a shot with a 10-day contract on January 1st this season. Displaying his scoring and passing, the guard impressed enough to earn more chances. Stephenson signed four separate 10-day contracts with the team before being signed for the remainder of the 2022 season on February 3rd.
In early January, Stephenson wowed with a 30 point, 5 assist performance immediately preceding a 16 point, 14 assist game. Following up his 14 assists, a career high, Stephenson posted three more games with 10+ assists on the year. Four 10+ assist games marked his most such games since the 2013-14 season.
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Stephenson finished off the last month of the season playing about 15 minutes per game for the Indiana Pacers, so it’s unclear how large of a role he should expect if re-signed.
However, it’s clear Lance Stephenson is comfortable playing in Indiana, and understandable that he’d invite a return to the franchise where he’s spent seven seasons.
