The Indiana Pacers made an intriguing roster move in late-March when they signed Lance Stephenson to a three-year deal. It wasn’t intriguing because it was the kind of move that could impact the race for a championship or anything.
No, it was intriguing because Stephenson was great as a member of the Pacers from 2010-14. During the 2014 offseason, Stephenson left Indiana and bounced around from team to team, never really finding a franchise which let him be the player he was with the Pacers – a spark plug and general nuisance who would sometimes make his own teammates/coaches/fans pull their hair out.
He showed us his ability to be a spark plug and general nuisance in his first game back with Indiana. He showed us his maddening nature which sometimes infuriated his teammates on Monday night in the Pacers’ Game 2 loss to Cleveland. Stephenson’s body language was kind of rough at times, and after the game, Indiana star Paul George kind of called his teammate out.
https://twitter.com/BenGolliver/status/854167014038024193
“Lance is, in our locker room, is looked upon as a leader,” George said. “One of our leaders. So his body language has to improve just for the team. We all know Lance is an emotional guy, a lot of it is just his heart and his competitiveness.”
It’s not every day that a 26-year-old guy is brought into a team in late March and is immediately looked upon to be a leader, but this goes to show the importance that Stephenson has to the Pacers’ franchise. Yes, he needs to keep his emotions in check, but at the same time, having Stephenson around is going to lead to nights like Monday, where it’s just not his (or the team’s) night for one reason or another and it shows up in his body language. The Pacers must think it’s worth it based on the fact that they’ve given him a three-year contract, so this kind of stuff is to be expected.
The good news for Indiana – both with regards to Stephenson and just in general – is that the series is heading back to their building. The 2-0 hole the Pacers are currently in has been decided by seven total points, so it’s possible that some of the waves that have carried the Cavs during low points will go start benefitting Indiana instead.
If that means that we start getting the full Born Ready experience and he goes to another level in front of the crowd at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, then we won’t have to worry about his body language doing anything other than helping his teammates.
