Lance Stephenson‘s first season as a member of the Charlotte Hornets has gone much worse than even Stephenson’s biggest critics could have imagined.
When the Hornets signed Stephenson away from the Indiana Pacers this offseason, he was thought to be Hornets’ missing piece. He was supposed to be the guy that helped push a Charlotte team that won 43 games last season to even greater heights this season.
However, the Hornets have been a disaster, winning just six of its first 25 games, giving them the fourth-worst record in a dreadful Eastern Conference. For the most part, Lance has been awful during this stretch.
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Instead of being a crucial third offensive weapon for Charlotte behind Kemba Walker and Al Jefferson, Stephenson has shot 38.7 percent from the floor and 15.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Instead of being a guy the Hornets could count on down the stretch, Stephenson has often found himself on the bench in the fourth quarter because coach Steve Clifford doesn’t trust him. Instead of being the missing piece, Stephenson has been a piece that hasn’t fit.
That has led to the many rumors flying around that the Hornets are trying to deal Stephenson now that he’s eligible to be moved.
With  respected journalists such as Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski and ESPN’s Marc Stein reporting the Hornets want Stephenson gone, it seems likely at this point that Charlotte will deal Stephenson this season.
And if they do indeed pull the trigger on such a move, the Hornets will be making a mistake.
Yes, Lance has been a mess. But he’s played just 25 games in a Hornets uniform. 25. It’s way too soon for the Hornets to give up on a talent like Stephenson.
This is a player that averaged 13.8 points on 49.1 percent shooting from the floor and 35.2 percent shooting from beyond the arc along with 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game last season. Stephenson had five triple doubles last season. LeBron James had just one. Stephenson’s all-around skill set isn’t one that’s easy to replace.
Also, if the Hornets truly think getting rid of Stephenson is the key in turning their season around, they’re thinking incorrectly. It’s simply unfair to pin all of Charlotte’s problems this season on Lance.
The biggest reason the Hornets are playing so much worse this season than they were last season is their sharp decline in team defense. Charlotte ranked no. 5Â in points allowed per possession last season and now rank no. 22Â in points allowed per possession this season, according to Basketball Reference.
That’s on everybody, not just Lance.
Offensively, the Hornets rank a dreadful no. 28 in points scored per possession this season, a slight drop-off from last season’s no. 22 rank. Sure, Stephenson’s partly to blame for that as, as he is the defensive woes. But it’s not just Stephenson that isn’t playing his best offensively.
Most notably, Walker has declined in nearly every major offensive category this season and he has been even more inefficient from the field than Lance (37.8 percent).
Simply put, the Hornets have played poorly because of team-wide issues. Stephenson isn’t the problem and moving him won’t yield the result Charlotte appears to think it will.
Furthermore, he’s on a very team-friendly contract, a three-year, $27 million pact signed this past offseason. Stephenson at his best is a bargain on such a deal.
So, instead of dealing Lance for 10 cents on the dollar with misguided beliefs on what it will do for their team, the Hornets should look to make other roster improvements and be patient with one of the most versatile talents in the league.