Five struggling NBA players we shouldn’t give up on

2. Lance Stephenson

Lance “Born Ready” Stephenson was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Once he reached high school, he was a four-year star for Lincoln High School and won an unprecedented four straight Public League Championships. Stephenson was often compared to past Lincoln High phenoms Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair, eventually breaking Telfair’s New York state scoring record. His hype got so big that he briefly had a reality show “Born Ready” during a portion of his senior year of high school.  A McDonald’s All-American, five-star recruit, and New York legend, Lance Stephenson eventually committed to the University of Cincinnati for the 2009-2010 after a tumultuous recruiting process.

While at Cincinnati, Stephenson won Big East Freshman of the year and averaged 12.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. He also showed that even though he was talented, he was far from a complete player. Lance Stephenson only had three more assists than turnovers, shot 21.9 percent from three, and often appeared uninterested in defense. Stephenson never even bothered to declare a college major and declared for the NBA as soon as he could. He slipped into the second round of the NBA draft, being selected 40^th overall by the Indiana Pacers.

Lance Stephenson arrived in Indiana at 19-years-old. Due largely to maturity issues, he didn’t crack the Pacers rotation his first year and a half in the league. But the Pacers organization, notably coach Frank Vogel and general manager Larry Bird, were very patient with Stephenson and it eventually paid dividends. A more mature person and player, Lance Stephenson was leading the league in triple-doubles and was averaging 14.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.7 assists for the first-place Indiana Pacers by the 2014-2015 All-Star break. When the coaches picked Joe Johnson over him for the All-Star team, a lot of NBA fans thought Lance Stephenson should have been picked instead. The Pacers eventually earned a one seed and made the Eastern Conference Finals, losing as Lance famously taunted Lebron James. Now a free agent, Lance Stephenson was realizing his potential as a playmaking defensive shooting guard and was rewarded for how far he had come that offseason with a $27 million contract from the Charlotte Hornets.

Stephenson only started 25 games for the Hornets, an early season pelvic sprain and poor play led to him being cast to the bench for most of his year there. He shot 37.6 percent from the field and 17.1 percent from three for the Hornets, and they cut ties after one season and traded him to the Clippers. Doc Rivers envisioned Stephenson regaining the form that he had shown with the Pacers and thought he may be the missing piece his team, on the championship fringes, could use to put them over the top. That never materialized, and though he didn’t play poorly, he never developed good chemistry with his new teammates.  Lance Stephenson was traded to his third team in two years when the Grizzlies acquired him last February.

Why you should still believe:

Grizzlies Coach Dave Joerger’s team underwent a massive run of injuries last year and he allowed Lance Stephenson to have the ball in his hands and create again. And for the first time since he played for the Pacers, Lance Stephenson was making plays. He averaged 14.2 points, shot well from the field, and played hard. He started everywhere from point guard to small forward and even scored a career high 33 late in the season. The Grizzlies couldn’t overcome injuries and didn’t win a lot towards the end of the year, but Stephenson showed that he hadn’t completely lost his basketball abilities during his time there.

Despite his redemptive time with the Grizzlies, no team offered Lance Stephenson a contract this summer. Playing overseas was beginning to look like a serious option when the Pelicans offered him a non-guaranteed contract and told him he would have to earn a roster spot just before camp opened. Recently it was announced that Stephenson made the Pelicans, and they had even gone as far as cutting a player with a guaranteed contract to keep him. With starting guards Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans, as well as reserve forward Quincy Pondexter out, there is a playmaking hole open on the Pelicans perimeter. With an organization that supports him and an opportunity, Lance Stephenson could thrive again.

Head Coach Alvin Gentry thinks that he would like to use Lance Stephenson in a playmaking role. There is the opportunity for 26 year old Lance Stephenson to revitalize his career in New Orleans. Many will doubt him, but that hasn’t stopped Born Ready from succeeding before.