At 6'6" and 230 lbs Lamar Stevens is prototypically built and suited for today's brand of NBA basketball. So what is holding him back? He doesn't have a reliable shot in his arsenal. Stevens never averaged better than 34% from deep in his four seasons at Penn State which came during his freshman season. He managed to increase his attempts from 1.0 to 3.1 from three-point range each season but his shot never fell on a consistent basis. That's not quite the improvement you would like to see out of a player like Stevens. Perhaps that is why he went
undrafted. Cleveland stepped in immediately after the draft and signed him to one of the team's two-way contracts.
Strengths
At his size, Stevens is a solid rebounder although the boxscore won't reflect that. He uses his 6'9" wingspan to snag boards in an efficient way as he's grabbing 7.2 REBS Per 36 Min. He was able to line up 3-5 in college because of his size and athleticism and as a result is prepared to defend either forward position or center in most small-ball lineups. He's been very mobile and has showcased quickness even at this level against players who are every bit as athletic as him. Stevens has shown the ability to move the ball and brief glimpses of high basketball IQ which is perhaps best visualized here He's not been afraid to put his head down and drive to the basket to draw a foul or two and while he's only hitting his freebies at a 71.5% clip, it's encouraging to see Stevens show a willingness to do so. Throughout the season thus far he has displayed his ability to handle the ball and finish around the rim.
Weaknesses
As was mentioned before, Stevens is not a good shooter at this point in time. His 10.5% average from deep is abysmal. He's only attempting 0.7 threes per game and that may be due to a lack of extended playing time as he's only averaging 13.7 min a game. One can only guess that since he's playing less than 15 min a game that he is trying to find his role in the NBA and is figuring out what he can do best at this level. He can't quite be considered a floor-stretcher at his size and is still a work in-progress offensively
Overview
At 4.4 PTS | 2.7 REBS | 0.9 AST, you may think that Lamar Stevens isn't capable enough to be an impactful NBA rotation player. If that is your thought process than you be sadly mislead. Just watch Stevens best game of the season, a 15 PT and 11 REB performance against the San Antonio Spurs in which he only played 17 minutes but was supremely effective or a last second defeat of the Atlanta Hawks in which he scored 8 PTS had 2 AST and two big steals as well as the game-winning dunk. Much of what he has done hasn't shown up on the stat sheet. Stevens isn't afraid to fight for a tough rebound or get his hands dirty by defending a bigger forward. He's of course still very raw and lacks any semblance of a three point shot at this point in his progression but the potential is there. Stevens already has a game-winner on his resume and Cavs fans are eager to see just how he will fit into the team's long term fit considering the fast approaching trade-deadline and the return of star PF Kevin Love and Key reserve Larry Nance Jr. Cleveland's Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff will need to determine who is in the rotation and who may be left out of it and here's to hoping that Stevens has done enough to earn a regular spot in the rotation.
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