The Los Angeles Lakers made a plethora of moves this offseason to restructure the roster after the big splash acquisition of All-Star forward LeBron James.
Among those was veteran forward Lance Stephenson on a one-year deal worth $4.5 million deal to join James in Los Angeles. According to Scott Agness of The Athletic, Stephenson has voiced that he believes he can excel alongside the four-time league MVP this upcoming season.
“They play my type of basketball, run and gun,” said Stephenson. “And then we got LeBron. You got a guy like that on your team and the game will come easy. So, I just have to play my role — hit open jump shots, attack the rim, hit free throws, play great defense — and I think I’ll be all right.”
James is arguably the best player in the league heading into his 16th season still playing some of the best basketball of his career. He has excelled as both a scorer and a playmaker with his passing ability that has helped open up opportunities on the court for his teammates over the years.
Although Stephenson has digressed as a scorer over the last couple of seasons, the presence of James on the court should make way for him to become a more consistent offensive threat due to the 33-year-old’s playmaking as a passer along with the addition he grabs as a scorer. There may be many different wants that the veteran forward could find to be a factor on the floor that will take time finding as he gains more experience playing together.
What may help Stephenson’s case is that he already has an idea of a defined role with the Lakers where he will likely be a key contributor off the bench. Only time will tell if he can be a solid fit in Los Angeles.
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