Lance Stephenson is having a bad season.
Real bad.
The Hornets went from low-end playoff team to a top-five Eastern Conference squad upon signing him. He made their defense stronger, and their offense more potent. It was a great signing.
Yet the results have said otherwise.
Injuries to Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Al Jefferson and Stephenson himself haven’t helped this season’s progress, but the Hornets are clinging to the East’s final playoff spot as Stephenson’s statistical free fall continues. He’s been serviceable on the defensive end, but his offensive efficiency has plummeted, no doubt a direct result of him being forced to play off the ball more.
Because of who Stephenson is, because of his checkered past, because trade rumors have been flying off the cuff, assumptions are made: Stephenson isn’t trying hard enough. He has a bad attitude. He’s toxic. These all seem like reasonable conclusions.
Thing is, Hornets coach Steve Clifford disagrees.
Per Sports Illustrated‘s Chris Mannix:
“A lot of this is totally off base among basketball people,” Clifford said. “He’s [24] years old. He’d played for one coach in one offense. This is Lance’s first time playing with new guys. His attitude has been fine. The expectations were a little out of whack.” …
“I don’t think [expectations] are unfair,” Clifford said. “I just think it’s part of our league. I just think that because he played, and played well, by the way, in very big games, [the expectations are higher].”
In retrospect, the manner in which Stephenson’s arrival was trumpeted most definitely surpassed ridiculous. Many of us are guilty of over-projecting; I know I am.
But the Hornets aren’t just Stephenson’s first new team. His problems go beyond the scenery change and into more harrowing territory: Stephenson is just a bad fit for the Hornets.
Even with the Pacers, Stephenson wasn’t great at playing off everyone else. He needs the ball in his hands to create, otherwise he’s not much of a weapon. He’s not a good three-point shooter, nor is he a spot-up marksman capable raining bombs off the catch. He’s a ball-dominant playmaker, who, sometimes, hits the occasional jumper.
There was more parity in Indiana. Paul George, Roy Hibbert and George Hill commanded their touches, but the Pacers ran a success-by-committee offense, ensuring Stephenson had ample opportunity to showcase his on-ball abilities. The Hornets have thrown him beside Kemba Walker and now Mo Williams. Playing with a real point guard has displaced him from his comfort zone, throwing him off balance.
This negative momentum shift seems to have impacted him elsewhere. There are times when it seems like he cannot do anything right, even on the defensive end.
Which is why this problem won’t just cease to exist. This isn’t an effort issue or a personality conflict. It’s a matter of fit—or, in this case, the complete lack of it.
