Lance Stephenson: Rockin' the 2010 NBA Summer League

When I heard that Lance Stephenson had applied for the 2010 NBA Draft, I thought that he was making a mistake. I thought he should do another year at Cincinnati before going to the NBA. I had a feeling that he might go undrafted, get drafted really late, or play poorly in his rookie season. Overall, I thought that he had a chance of turning out like Omar Cook.

When the Indiana Pacers drafted him in the 2nd round (40th overall), I was annoyed that he wasn't drafted by the Knicks with the 38th or 39th pick, but I was happy for him. I had unsure predictions on his future with the Pacers and the NBA, but he had passed the first NBA test: getting drafted.

After that I waited until I could see him play in the summer league. He has played 3 games so far in Orlando for the Indiana Pacers Summer League Team, and he has exceeded expectations and played very well. Look at the stats:
July 5 vs. Orlando Magic----21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, and made 8 of 10 field goals
July 6 vs. New Jersey Nets----15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and made 7 of 10 field goals
July 7 vs. Utah Jazz----19 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, and made 6 of 8 field goals
Overall (3 games)---18.3 points per game, 3 rebounds per game, 2 assists per game, 0.7 blocks per game, 0.3 steals per game, and has made 21 of 28 field goals (75% field goal percentage

It may not seem that spectacular until you compare him to Evan Turner (the 2nd overall pick in the draft) and Derrick Favors (the 3rd pick).
Evan Turner: 9.7 points per game 35% field goal percentage
Derrick Favors: 8 points per game 43% field goal percentage
Lance Stephenson: 18.3 points per game 75% field goal percentage

Stephenson is statisticly playing better than them. I had my doubts, along with a lot of other people, but he proved us wrong. I guess he really was "Born Ready."

Also, at this moment, Lance Stephenson is ranked number 1 on the NBA.com Rookie Ladder. Blake Griffin and John Wall better watch out.

Links:
NBA.com Rookie Ladder http://www.nba.com/rookieladder/
NBA.com Lance Stephenson Summer League Profile http://www.nba.com/summerleague2010/players/lance_stephenson/index.html