Lance Stephenson is impressed with the moves the Nets and Knicks have made this summer, but said he still thinks his Pacers are the team best-suited to challenge the Heat in the East.
“I think we’re good,” Stephenson said at a back to school event in Brooklyn Wednesday. “When I’m on the court, and I know when my teammates are on the court, we think we’re better than anybody.
“I think we’ve got a good chance to be the number one team [in the East]. We just have to work hard, put it together and do what we need to do to make our team better this year.”
After spending his first two years mostly riding the bench for the Pacers, last season Stephenson became one of the NBA’s breakout players. With All-Star Danny Granger spending virtually the whole season on the shelf with knee injuries, Stephenson started 72 games during the regular season and all 19 of Indiana’s playoff games, helping the Pacers push the Heat to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
“I’ve learned a lot,” the former Lincoln High star said. “I watched a lot of players ahead of me, and it made me better. I’ve taken many things they’re doing, and the reasons they are on the floor, and tried to put it into my game and do it in my own style. By me sitting on the bench it made me learn the game more, I got with coaches and it made me a better player.”
But after 8.8 points per game during the regular season and 9.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists during the playoffs, Stephenson faces the possibility of heading back to the bench and to a sixth man role on the Pacers this season if Granger returns to full strength, something he said he’s fine with.
“I’m good no matter what happens,” Stephenson said. “If he starts or I start, whatever helps the team win, that’s what I’m down with.”
Assuming Granger is healthy and returns to the starting lineup, Stephenson will help anchor what should be a vastly improved second unit for Indiana this season. After adding former Knick Chris Copeland, former Net C.J. Watson and Luis Scola, the Pacers appear to have the kind of depth to compliment their formidable starting five that they didn’t have a year ago, but that didn’t stop them from vanquishing the Knicks in the Eastern Conference semis and giving Miami all they could handle in the conference finals.
“Oh, man, we’ve got a good unit this year. We got a lot of players that can help us, and we picked up a lot of great players. I think this year is gonna be a good year, and we’ll see how it begins.”
Stephenson is the latest in a line of Brooklyn stars, including Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair, to come out of Lincoln High and make it to the NBA. Because of that, Stephenson said he feels he has a responsibility to give back like Marbury and Telfair did as he was growing up, and to try and show kids from the same neighborhoods he grew up in a positive influence.
“It’s always good,” he said. “I love to give back. I love to do things to help kids get focused on school, and to try to be a good role model to kids.
“I always try to get back home and show love and support and try to help kids get ready for school and wherever life takes them.”