Seven months ago, Lance Stephenson’s NBA comeback was nearly complete.
In April, the Nuggets were in desperate search of backcourt help. Jamal Murray had just torn his ACL. Monte Morris had suffered a hamstring injury that was going to sideline him for the next two-plus weeks. Denver was down to Will Barton, Facu Campazzo, PJ Dozier and newly-signed free agent Shaq Harrison in its backcourt.
So the Nuggets assessed the free-agent pool. Stephenson was available, and was one of the players Denver considered signing, league sources told DNVR. But instead, the Nuggets inked a different free agent guard from the pool of players they discussed: Austin Rivers.
“I had a lot of workouts with a lot of teams,” Stephenson told DNVR. “Denver, I was so close. I was this close to being on the team. It didn’t happen, so I just moved forward. I’m just working my way back up there. Hopefully, it happens soon.”
Stephenson was back on Denver’s radar in October. After last playing in the NBA for the Lakers in 2018-19 and spending the 2019-20 season in China, Stephenson entered his name in the G League draft. The 31-year-old had offers to play elsewhere but felt like the G League was his best path to getting back to the NBA and to show teams that he’s in shape and willing to play anywhere.
The Gold took Stephenson No. 13 overall. He was all of a sudden bound for Grand Rapids.
“I’ve been out for a year and a half. Just to be able to play professional basketball again, to be coached again, to travel with a team again is a blessing,” Stephenson said. “I’ll play anywhere. Just to be out there and get a chance to help the younger guys and show my talent is amazing.”
Stephenson has made an immediate impact with the Gold. Through four games he’s averaging 19 points (50 FG%, 37.5 3p%), 8.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Stephenson has already teamed with teammate Nik Stauskas to form a potent drive-and-kick duo.
“When I pass him the ball, I’m like, ‘This is going in,'” Stephenson said.
Other players down the roster have caught his eye too. Manny Camper, the 2021 MAAC Player of the Year at Sienna who joined the Gold after securing a spot with the team after an open tryout, reminds Stephenson of his former Pacers teammate Sam Young. Camper hauled in 18 rebounds in the Gold’s season-opening win in Sioux Falls two weeks ago.
Stephenson says he has also begun to develop a strong pick-and-roll chemistry with two-way center Petr Cornelie, who has since rejoined the Nuggets in Denver.
“He’s actually cool,” Stephenson said of Cornelie. “His jump shot is incredible. He’s been working on it a lot. He’s just learning the game. What I love about him is he goes hard at all times. He asks a lot of questions. A lot of guys just wander off and do their own thing, but he asks questions and wants to learn every day. When you have a young guy who wants to learn, he’s going to get better quick. He’s going to get good quick. You’ve got a good one. I like him.”
Stephenson’s of course fighting to get back into the NBA. He says he’s smarter and wiser than he used to be and believes that he can be a veteran presence on any team. In the G League, he’s trying to show teams that he’s willing to do the right things on and off the court.
Around Cornelie, who’s 26-years-old and an NBA rookie, and the several Gold players who are straight out of college, Stephenson has stepped into a leadership role. The nine-year NBA vet had great leaders around him throughout his career — Stephenson says his favorite teammate ever was David West because of his leadership qualities and also the chemistry they had in the two-man game — and he’s trying to be that type of presence on a young Gold roster.
Another fascinating dynamic within the Gold: Stephenson’s coach. The Nuggets hired Jason Terry to coach their G League affiliate after meeting with him over dinner in Las Vegas during Summer League earlier this year. Terry brings 19 years of NBA playing experience to Grand Rapids and Stephenson has fit seamlessly into his up-tempo but defense-first scheme. Terry also dueled with Stephenson countless times on the NBA hardwood, including one memorable interaction from 2018 when the two went shot-for-shot during a Pacers-Bucks matchup.
“I’ve learned a lot from him. He’s a champion. He just knows the game. I didn’t even know he would be a good coach,” Stephenson joked. “But he’s putting us in the right position. When you’ve got a coach that’s a players-coach and knows the game, it’s more fun because he knows how to talk to you. He knows how to get the best out of you.”
Stephenson’s embracing his time with Grand Rapids but returning to the NBA is his goal. He misses the grind of the NBA season — traveling, practices, shootarounds, watching film — and bonding with his teammates and playing in front of NBA fans. He even misses media days.
“I love media day because you get to show the real you and your real personality,” he said. “Media day is always the best day for me.”
He hopes a call-up to the NBA and specifically to Denver is coming so that he can play with Nikola Jokic, who Stephenson calls the “best big man in the NBA.” Stephenson’s hoping to spend time around the Nuggets this season just to see the behind-the-scenes work and preparation Jokic puts in daily to perform at the level that he has over the last several years.
Stephenson is not the same person who he was earlier in his career. He’s not the same 23-year-old who blew in LeBron’s ear in the 2014 playoffs. He’s matured, grown up, and learned a lot about himself and life since then. He’s trying to mentor his younger teammates and set an example for them to follow.
The old Lance still comes out at times, and Stephenson brought out his patented air guitar to celebrate after he won a shooting drill at practice earlier this season. But he has a new perspective on life and his career after being out of the NBA.
He wants to be a leader, a teacher and help his teammates chart their own path forward while making his own NBA comeback.
“I’m trying to help these young guys learn this game as quickly as possible,” Stephenson said. “This game is hard, especially coming from college and going straight to real pro basketball. Sometimes guys don’t know how to use their speed. Sometimes they don’t know where to be on the defensive end. They don’t know how to run plays. They don’t know the basic stuff of the game.”
“I’m trying to teach them everything about basketball but also about life.”
