Lance Stephenson to Timberwolves: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction
Lance Stephenson has experienced a fall from grace since he inked a three-year, $27 million deal with the Charlotte Hornets in July 2014, but he'll be afforded a shot at redemption with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Minnesota announced Wednesday that it had agreed to terms with Stephenson on a 10-day contract. Shams Charania of The Vertical first reported the signing.
The high point of Stephenson's career came during the 2013-14 season, when he emerged as a legitimate difference-maker for a rising Indiana Pacers team that pushed the Miami Heat to six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Throughout that fruitful campaign, Stephenson averaged 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists while shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from three.
That two-way dependability made Stephenson a compelling option in free agency, and he ultimately latched on with the Hornets.
| 2013-14 | 78 | 13.8 | 7.2 | 4.6 | 49.1 | 35.2 | 14.7 |
| 2014-15 | 61 | 8.2 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 37.6 | 17.1 | 8.8 |
| 2015-16 | 69 | 8.3 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 48.1 | 38.5 | 13.5 |
| 2016-17 | 6 | 9.7 | 3.0 | 4.8 | 47.3 | 10.0 | 10.3 |
However, his stay in Charlotte lasted all of one season before the Hornets ended the experiment and dealt the enigmatic swingman to the Los Angeles Clippers in June 2015.
That Hollywood stint proved fleeting, though, as the Clippers opted to ship him to the Memphis Grizzlies in February 2016 as part of a deal for Jeff Green. And while Stephenson thrived on an injury-riddled Grizzlies club to the tune of 14.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game, he flew the nest in free agency and signed a one-year deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.
But after a groin injury threatened to sideline the 26-year-old for up to 10 weeks, the team waived him in November.
Now on his fourth team in the last two seasons, Stephenson will try to operate as a two-way playmaker.
That may sound like a tall task considering Stephenson has a checkered past littered with on-court inconsistencies, but he displayed flashes of stability in the past.
On offense, the most meaningful contributions came in the form of strong ball movement. Some of those stylings were on display during his brief six-game run with the Pelicans, when he assisted on 28.2 percent of his teammates' field goals.
But when it comes to other offensive tasks, the best approach is to temper expectations.
Stephenson is a sub-40 percent shooter from every zone beyond three feet over the course of his career, and his erratic three-point stroke doesn't make him a threat to stretch the floor. Rather, defenses often choose to sag off him at the arc in favor of packing the paint or double-teaming more dangerous perimeter options.
With that in mind, the best-case scenario is that Stephenson assumes the form of a pure energy booster in limited bench minutes. At least that's what Minnesota will be hoping for after losing Zach LaVine to a season-ending ACL injury in early February.
He'll likely split time with Brandon Rush at shooting guard. So he has a chance to earn extensive minutes if he can display a hot hand from the field.
And as the past shows, Stephenson is capable of wreaking havoc on defense, as evidenced by the 4.8 defensive win shares he racked up during the 2013-14 season.
If he can prove to be a disruptive force on one end and serve as a supplementary distributor on the other, the low-risk signing should pay off.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.
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