Following his historic first-quarter performance this past week, Lance Stephenson has reported earned some staying power in Indiana.
The Pacers are expected to keep Lance Stephenson for the rest of the season, league sources say, thanks to his very strong play in this third Indiana stint that has won admiration from Pacers coach Rick Carlisle.
Stephenson has one day left on his initial Indiana hardship deal.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 9, 2022
“>According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Indiana Pacers are expected to keep Stephenson for the rest of the 2021-22 season. The veteran wing currently has just one day left on his initial hardship deal with the franchise.
Stephenson, who signed with the team on Jan. 2, has played in four games for the Pacers over the last week. In those appearances, he’s averaged 14.3 points, 6.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 22.8 minutes per game. He’s also been fairly efficient, shooting 55.8 percent from the floor and 31.3 from beyond the arc.
The highlight of Stephenson’s latest stint with Indiana came on Wednesday, in Kyrie Irving’s first game back with the Brooklyn Nets. Stephenson came off the bench six minutes into the game and scored 20 straight points to close out the first quarter. He became the first bench player in NBA history to drop 20 points in the first quarter and the first since Steph Curry last April to score 20 straight points in the first frame.
He ended Indiana’s 129-121 loss with 30 points, five assists and three rebounds.
Prior to joining the Pacers for the third time in his career, Stephenson signed a 10-day hardship contract with the Atlanta Hawks. He played in six games for last year’s Eastern Conference runner-ups, but was was far less effective in just 11.7 minutes per game.
Stephenson’s path in the NBA has been windy and even looked like it was coming to an end after the 2018-19 season. However, he’s done enough during his short time in Indiana to earn another opportunity with the Pacers.
Time will tell if he can close out the second-half of the year strong and earn the chance to stay past 2022.