After LeBron James agreed to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, the organization followed up with a frenzy of moves, which included the surprising acquisition of Lance Stephenson. If you don’t know by now, James and Stephenson have always been at odds on the court, which has resulted into small on-court feuds between the two.
The most famous James and Stephenson moment was when Lance blew into LeBron’s ear as the two were waiting for game action to resume during the 2014 playoffs. That has become an iconic moment between their rivalry, but now the two have set aside their differences to team up.
But, what made Stephenson want to join LeBon in L.A.?
Stephenson was recruited by The King
According to Indiana Pacers president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard, LeBron James is the one who called Stephenson and convinced him to join the Lakers. The Pacers declined Stephenson’s team option before the start of free agency, making him an unrestricted free agent, but Pritchard said that they were interested in re-signing him.
The Lakers front office was quite surprised that James wanted Stephenson on his team. At the end of the day, James knows what Stephenson is going to bring to the table. The 27-year-old is a defensive pest, who brings toughness and energy on both ends of the floor. Although his shot is not where it needs to be, Stephenson has the ability to ball handle and playmake, which would be ideal for the team.
How will Stephenson fit in?
Coach Luke Walton is likely to play Stephenson off the bench, so he can stabilize the second unit, most likely with newly acquired point guard Rajon Rondo. With the Lakers, it’s imaginable that James doesn’t have to play as many minutes as he did in Cleveland. With the amount of ball handlers the Lakers have, including Lance, the team doesn’t need LeBron to dominate the ball.
As it has been recently reported, Walton wants to continue with his free-flowing offense from last season. He wants his guards to push the pace and get offense early in transition, rather than having James dribble out the shot clock to create for himself or others. Stephenson would fit in perfectly with the up-tempo offense, and if James can buy into it as well, the Lakers will be fine.
Also, now that they are teammates, James will surely ask for Stephenson to defend the other teams’ best players, to essentially pester them and get under their skin. With multiple versatile defenders, this will also give James the opportunity to catch his breath on the defensive end.
It’s a compelling story -- two players that have never liked each other teaming up, but it has happened before. Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest used to hate each other’s guts, but they joined together to win a championship in 2010. Let’s see what James and Stephenson can accomplish together.
