Penn State Basketball’s Lamar Stevens: An NBA rookie year retrospective
By Evan Smith
Former Penn State Basketball standout Lamar Stevens may have gone undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, but he earned his NBA contract through a relatively impressive rookie campaign.
Stevens’ numbers may look modest (4.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, and roughly half a block, steal and assist a game) but again, he went UNDRAFTED.
When the Cleveland Cavaliers signed him to a two-way contract after the NBA draft, it was unlikely he’d ever receive real minutes in the NBA. But they may not have known what we know about Stevens.
In early December, Stevens made his presence known with a massive dunk off a steal. And that was just the appetizer leading up to the main course, his GAME WINNING SLAM DUNK in February.
While it’s silly to think he earned an NBA contract based on one play, highlights like these certainly helped the Cavaliers make the “right” decision, signing Stevens to a four year deal just one month ago.
Stevens’ deal is a three year non-guaranteed contract with a team option for a fourth, the contract shows the Cavs are willing to spend money and a roster spot to keep Stevens in the fold for at least the near future.
Stevens will need to improve his three point shooting in order to have a long career in the NBA (like Tim Frazier). He shot just 16% from beyond the arc this year, bringing down an otherwise respectable 45.6% from the field and an average 72.5%. His athleticism, however, was on full display.
One game, the Cavs had him cover all-star Ben Simmons of the 76ers in every possession of overtime. You can’t teach speed, strength and the will to defend. If he can get the three point shooting percentage above 33.33%, he could hang aroudn the league for a while. If Stevens can shoot closer to 40%, he will have a nice career as a “3 and D” man that the current NBA covets.