Lance Stephenson carries a pretty dark cloud on his head, much of which brewed after his not so impressive one-year stay with the Charlotte Hornets last season. He was never a factor and the Hornets gave up on him.
But now, he gets another new lease on life with the Clippers. Compared to when he was with the Hornets, he doesn't need to pressure himself to carry the team. Obviously, the Clippers are oozing with talent who would have to worry about that.
So how can Lance Stephenson fit in with the system of Doc Rivers?
It seems that while Stephenson will be holding the ball most of the time, it is about making his teammates look good. In short, it does sound a bit of playing point guard, although his role will not about bringing up the ball.
It is not about Stephenson's ball handling but more on his passing skills. That is something that critics have forgotten, seeing Stephenson average about 4.6 assists a game when he was still with the Pacers.
Apparently, that is what Rivers and the Clips are looking for. They don't need him to be a shooter. They just need his hustle, energy, and wise thinking to churn out a well oiled team.
Stephenson is likely to come off the bench and lead the second unit. Rivers seems to want to see him lead that group, and if the Clippers want to squeeze out some headway from their backups, Stephenson has the lead.
Again, this points to that whole thing about seeing Stephenson act as a facilitator. So by being that, he doesn't need to worry about the scoring department and just do the intangibles.
It may not be the same expectations that people are looking for in Stephenson, seeing how he has struggled in the preseason games of the Clippers. But with a defined role in a star-studded team like the Clippers, Stephenson should get the hang of it in no time.
