MANY NBA PLAYERS ARE entertaining for 30 or 35 minutes per game. That is, they are worth watching while they are on the floor, and that is fantastic for them and their fans. Then there is Lance Stephenson, an NBA outlier in many ways, not least because he amuses for all 48.On a Monday night in Philadelphia, Stephenson begins his game on the bench, per usual. His Pacers jump out to a 26-10 lead. Stephenson has a unique habit of standing for entire play sequences, even during moments like these, the unmemorable ones that fill a regular season.Paul George makes a lay-up, extending the lead, prompting Stephenson to his feet. He begins yapping at George, and then briefly strides downcourt with him, the sideline marker dividing the two players, Stephenson still in his warm-up uniform. He remains standing while the Pacers play defense, but his arms soon fall in dismay as his teammates allow a lay-up. A timeout is called. As players huddle around coach Nate McMillan, Stephenson, still not yet due to check in, pokes his head over various shoulders, trying to get a piece of the action.When he checks in later, the 6'5" Stephenson becomes the Pacers' primary playmaker. Within his first minute of action, he works into the lane twice, first for a bucket and then to find an open shooter. He is an impressive decision-maker and a strong dude. In the fourth quarter, with the Sixers mounting a mildly threatening comeback, Stephenson leaps toward the rim, absorbs a foul, and as his 230-pound frame flails about, hangs long enough to flip the ball off the backboard and in. It is a remarkable play that forces one to consider the question of why Lance Stephenson can only thrive as an Indiana Pacer."It feels great to be back on a team that has confidence in you and just lets you be you," says Stephenson, who has returned to the Pacers for a second tour of duty after two-and-a-half seasons away. "I missed the team, missed the fans and they missed me." IN JULY 2014, STEPHENSONhit free agency following a season in which he led the NBA with five triple-doubles. He rejected a five-year, $44 million contract offer from Indiana, but then found an unexpectedly cold free-agent market. He settled in Charlotte for three years, $27 million.Since then, he has floated through the abyss of salary dumps and 10-day contracts. He has played in Charlotte, Los Angeles (Clippers), Memphis, New Orleans and Minnesota. Meanwhile, the Pacers, who won 56 games in '13-14 with Stephenson aboard, played uninspired .500 ball in his absence.Last month, at 26, Stephenson hit free agency yet again. Shortly thereafter, Pacers president Larry Birdwith a green light from Georgesigned Stephenson to a multi-year deal."They told me what they needed me to do," Stephenson says. "Just be aggressive on the defensive end, use my instincts= and help the team with sharing the ball. I feel like I never left." SEVERAL HOURS BEFORE THESixers game, Stephenson sits in the stands of the Wells Fargo Center, where the team just wrapped practice. He is still a little sweaty. He is composed, a stark contrast from the frenzied and frequently grimacing, pouting or otherwise animated character we've come to know over the years.Stephenson first arrived as a Lincoln High School standout in Brooklyn. There, he surpassed the likes of Felipe Lopez, Kenny Anderson and Sebastian Telfair to become the all-time New York state scoring leader. In 2009, he was a McDonald's All-American and graced the cover of SLAM Magazine. Stephenson then played one unspectacular season at the University of Cincinnati amid eligibility questions. When the 2010 draft rolled around, he was just a big name with a second-round grade. The hometown Knicks passed on him with picks 38 and 39. The Pacers selected him at No. 40.After two quiet seasons, during which he totaled just 557 minutes, he was inserted into the Pacers' starting lineup. During that yearhis thirdStephenson's NBA persona was established: He was a powerful offensive threat and an active defender who had a knack for the puzzling, the frustrating, even the unprecedented.He was unique even in a league filled with one-of-a-kind players. Some guys can perform at an All-Star level, and others love to annoy with bizarre antics, but rare is the player who does both.Most famously, in Game 5 of the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals against Miami, Stephenson blew directly into the ear of LeBron James during a brief stoppage in play. It was an odd moment that birthed an instantly classic meme. Stephenson's puffed cheeks plastered the internet.Most recently, when the Pacers visited the Raptors in late March, Stephenson caused a mid-court scuffle by laying in a garbage time bucket, a supposedly breaking of an unwritten rule.Stephenson later discovered that Toronto had committed a high-flying version of the same act a couple nights earlier. After finding the incriminating video, he chimed in on Instagram. Indeed, he seldom breaks character in public.But in conversation, Stephenson is patient while listening to questions and is measured in his responses. He speaks frequently about his need for a supportive environment that allows him to be himself. Now that he has found it again, in Indiana, Stephenson is safe to explore the down years of his career. WHEN STEPHENSON SIGNED WITHthe Hornets, it seemed like a good enough fit. Charlotte was a strong defensive team, and its leader, Kemba Walker, was a fellow New York City native. But the team won just 33 games, 10 fewer than the previous year. Stephenson saw his numbers dip across the board.It was an upsetting experience for him."Going to a different team was like being a rookie again," he says. "After I left Indiana, it was tough. I felt like I still had to prove myself andyou know when you do so good at one place and you feel like you ain't gotta prove yourself no more' You're comfortable. It's like, y'all know how I play, so put me in a position where I can look good. I didn't find another team that did that for me."After one season, the Hornets flipped Stephenson to the Clippers for Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes. To outsiders, it was a pretty bleak deal, a sign of how low Stephenson's value had fallen. Stephenson didn't see it that way."When I got traded to the Clippers, I was very happy," he says. "It was a playoff-contending team with a lot of good vets around."Moreover, the Clippers had searched far and wide for a defensive small forward who could shoot and create a little bit. An engaged Stephenson fit that bill. But, as he says with a grin, "that didn't work out either."In February 2016, the Clippers sent Stephenson and a first-round pick to Memphis for Jeff Green. Stephenson was fast becoming an NBA journeyman at age 25.On the bright side, the injury-ravaged Grizzlies had plenty of minutes and touches to offer him."In Memphis, I felt like myself again," Stephenson says. "I played like myself. I got to handle the ball and make decisions."The team reached the postseason, where Stephenson was by far its most dangerous player. Memphis was swept away by the Spurs, but Stephenson hung 26 points on San Antonio in Game 4, and, having played solid ball for a few months, believed the tumultuous period of his career was over.It wasn't.During the ensuing offseasonlast summerMemphis let Stephenson go.The Pelicans scooped him up. Stephenson bought in, then got hurt and was waived in November. December was lost to rehab. In January, in Cleveland, LeBron complained to ESPN's Dave McMenamin that the Cavs needed "a f--king playmaker." Stephenson was mentioned as a possible fit, but Cleveland signed Deron Williams for the role instead. January passed.In February, Minnesota signed Stephenson to a 10-day contract following Zach LaVine's ACL tear. Lance bought in againmaybe he was always destined to play for the feisty Tom Thibodeauthen, after a second 10-day deal, got hurt again and was let go...again.As of March 18, Stephenson was unemployed. On March 26, Pacers combo-guard Rodney Stuckey injured his left patellar tendon. Three days later, he was waived. It was time for Stephenson to return to Indiana. ON MARCH 29, IN a shrewd bit of roster building, and maybe as a sign of good faith, Bird signed Stephenson to a three-year, $12 million contract. (The third year is a team option.) The annual sum is far above the NBA minimum, but is still small change in today's TV-fueled league. If Stephenson plays well, he will remain in Indiana on the cheap. If he plays poorly, the Pacers can waive him in relatively short order. But he has always delivered in Indiana."I think other teams didn't necessarily use Lance to his ability," George says. "Here, he's a guy that has the ball in his hands. He makes plays happen, he's confident with the ball and he's really aggressive. We feed off him."In Stephenson's first game back in Indiana earlier this month, the Pacers trailed by 11 at half. Stephenson played 25 minutes that night, but as ever, was busy for all 48."Lance was constantly over there talking to the team about 'Stay in it, stay with it, let's go,' lifting and motivating the group," McMillan said after the game, per Conrad Brunner of 1070 The Fan. "Our guys are feeding off of that."The Pacers came back to win."When he gets into that mode and he gets fired-up, it's a contagious thing," George said afterward, per Brunner. "That's him, man, that's natural. That's who Lance is and that's what this locker room lacked. ... He makes guys around him believe and he brought the best out of everybody."That was be the first of five straight wins. The last came on Wednesday night against Atlanta, as the Pacers clinched a playoff spot. Stephenson collected 10 rebounds and six assists.The streak brought to mind the powerful Pacers teams of 2013 and '14.Jeff Teague has adopted the role of the departed George Hill, with a little more explosiveness but a little less reliability. Thaddeus Young is crafty and big enough to do much of David West's trademark handiwork, and he is far more athletic than West. Myles Turner, the 6'11" 21-year-old, is a phenomenal two-way prospect. His defense is already excellent (if not as polished as Roy Hibbert's during his prime) and he possesses the best offensive repertoire of any Pacers big man since Jermaine O'Neal.If the Pacers have lost the continuity that propelled them in the mid-2010s, maybe some added depth and experience can make up the difference. Quality veterans like Al Jefferson, Aaron Brooks and C.J. Miles line the bench. Head coach Nate McMillan, who replaced Frank Vogel this summer, has been with the Pacers since 2013 and has banked two prior head coaching stints (Vogel was a rookie in Indiana).Meanwhile, George is still George. And Stephenson, it appears, is Stephenson again."I think he's found a home," George says. "He's playing the same basketball he played in 2013 and 2014." IT IS FITTING, THEN, that Indiana will match up with its foe from those yearsJamesin the playoffs' opening round. Roughly three years ago, during the Conference Finals, Stephenson got caught up in a feud with the league's best player. His fateful puff came in Game 5, but he had been trying to spark something since at least Game 3.He told reporters at the time: "[LeBron] never used to say nothing to me. I always used to be the one that would say, 'I'm gonna get under you. I'm gonna do something to get you mad.' And now he's trying to do it to me. So I feel like it's a weakness. I feel like I'm doing something right, and I'm getting under his skin."Some might say that addressing LeBron's weakness is, in itself, a sign of weakness.But there will be no such speculation this time around. Stephenson won't hype up the personal matchup with LeBron, won't be distracted, won't go there."I'm just excited to be back in the playoffs," Stephenson says, waving off the bait. "I feel good. I feel new and refreshed. I'm back home." Leo Sepkowitz is a freelance writer based in New York City. He mostly writes forSlam Magazine. He can be followed on Twitter at@LeoSepkowitz.
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