Early Takeaways from Lance Stephenson's Performance with Charlotte Hornets
The Charlotte Hornets sure have been fun to watch at the beginning of their renaissance season, and much of that can be attributed to the added fire that Lance Stephenson has provided. The Hornets' new 6'5" dynamic shooting guard is still settling in, but there is a ton to be excited about.
Charlotte clearly needed an upgrade after the position had grown stagnant with the peaked ability of Gerald Henderson. You'd have a tough time finding one fan who isn't already excited about Stephenson.
After three games, Stephenson has been about as electrifying as a single-digit scorer can be. With the emergence of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at small forward, Stephenson has been playing very unselfish basketball as he gets his feet wet in his new surroundings. His numbers sit at 7.7 points, 10 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game on just 29.6 percent from the field.
His scoring will surely come around, as it did during the November 2 game against the New York Knicks, where he posted 14 points, nine boards and eight dimes to go along with three steals. It was a big step forward from riding the pine in the fourth quarter during the matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies in the previous game.
The small sample size provides a glimpse into the future and some points where Stephenson can improve. Here is what we can deduce so far regarding the Lance Stephenson experience.
Highlights
Well, this dunk happened. That's good, right?
Stephenson, or the man more affectionately known as "Born Ready," hadn't made a name for himself as a posterizer during his Indiana Pacers days; what better way for him to announce his presence in Charlotte? That dunk certainly added to the buzz and might have even brought back some memories to the Larry Johnson days of the previous Hornets regime.
In the Knicks game, he passed the eye test with flying colors. Stephenson was a monster on the glass and attacked the rim like we have grown accustomed to seeing. He brought out the ball fakes, spin moves, flashy passes and crossovers.
On defense, he has fit right in. Steve Clifford should be able to get even more out of him defensively than the Pacers did. Being in a more prominent role with a franchise that so clearly wants him aboard will pay dividends on both ends.
Stephenson has already shown glimpses of the nightmare he can be defensively and while attacking the rim. It is only a matter of time before his shot starts falling and he settles into the offense more. Once that happens, look out, Eastern Conference.
He has also provided us with the best three-second video of the young season, which simply cannot go unnoticed.
Lowlights
Stephenson also has struggled mightily with his shot, missing 19 of his 27 attempts through three games, including all four from three-point range. The sample size is outrageously small, but this is the area of his game that could stand to improve the most. A lethal shooting repertoire is what might propel him to legitimate stardom and ultimately land this team deep in the postseason.
Charlotte lost its second game of the season, 71-69, to the Memphis Grizzlies. Stephenson was dead silent, scoring two points while connecting on only one of his six shot attempts. To make matters worse, he didn't see the floor in the fourth quarter.
Clifford had this to say after the game, per The Associated Press, via ESPN.com:
"He just didn't play very well. I coach to win. I went with the team that played the best. The guys that know what they're doing out there and played the best are the guys that played. The guys that continue to play like that will be the guys that play.
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Fans needn't read too far into this, as it likely was just a blip on the radar. Clifford rolled with Gary Neal against Memphis' stifling defense in order to produce some offense. Once Stephenson gets more acclimated, this may never happen again.
Takeaways
One thing we know for sure is that Stephenson and backcourt mate Kemba Walker are going to be savages alongside each other. They share similar fiery styles and absolutely relish in huge moments, as evidenced by Walker's heroics in the opening game where he tied the score at the end of regulation, then followed it up with a dagger in overtime.
Stephenson is also very unselfish on both ends, and he has already looked very comfortable feeding Al Jefferson in the post as well as running pick-and-pops with Cody Zeller. He slots right into this lineup perfectly and will only continue to grow.
Defensively, you can already tell what kind of havoc he is going to wreak alongside Walker and MKG. All three are feisty athletes who play strong defense without selling out for steals or fouling.
This looks like a home run signing for the Hornets so far. They took a big swing on Gordon Hayward in the offseason, but Stephenson is going to prove why Indiana is going to miss him dearly.
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