Indiana Pacers: 2017-18 player grades for Lance Stephenson

After a series of bad breaks, Lance Stephenson found himself a home for the second time this season with the Indiana Pacers.

There are few players for any team that can say they were a meaningful part of not one but two totally separate eras in the same jersey. After this season, Lance Stephenson can be easily make that claim.

In his age-27 season, Lance Stephenson was kind of an afterthought for the likely lottery-bound Indiana Pacers. But just as he shocked the basketball world with his LeBron James-taunting tactics during the Paul George era of Pacer basketball, once again, Lance stepped in as a clutch part of the Pacers’ Cinderella run that nearly dethroned the King of the basketball world once again.

After a tumultuous few years in which he bounced around to four different teams, Lance ultimately ended back where he started, and showed that Born Ready is most effective playing Hoosier basketball.

This year, he earned 22.6 minutes per game and played in all 82 contests, averaging 9.2 points, 2.9 assists and the second highest rebounding mark of his career with 5.2 boards per game. While these numbers won’t blow you away, for just 22.6 minutes — all while being an irritating X-factor with his defense — Lance was a steal for the Pacers this season.