The Cleveland Cavaliers are quite the youthful team, rostering 9 players age 26 or younger and that’s without factoring in Collin Sexton, who was extended a $7.2 million qualifying offer and is currently a restricted free agent. Among this young bunch are numerous players that are poised for a potential breakout. One such player who could be headed for that fabled third-year breakout is one that many fans may not be expecting. Enter Lamar Stevens. The Penn State product is still just 25 years old and has been inching towards a true breakout ever since he entered the gates at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Stevens is an under-the-radar Cavs breakout candidate for the 2022-23 season.
Stevens first stepped onto the scene back in November 2020 when he signed a two-way contract with the Cavs after a pretty stellar collegiate career with the Nittany Lions. He averaged 16.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks across 135 games (all starts). He was fourth in the Big Ten conference in scoring (17.6) during his senior season and was named to the 2019-20 All-Big Ten First Team as a result.
While his strong scoring numbers haven’t necessarily carried over as he only managed to score in double figures 3 times during his rookie season (40 games) and 11 times in his sophomore year (63), he has displayed the ability to knock down the occasional triple. He only took 25 total his rookie year and completed just 4 (16.0 percent) but managed an improvement in year 2 by canning 18 of his 65 attempts from range (27.7 percent) and looking more confident while doing so.
Of his 65 total attempts, 64 were classified as open or wide-open, per NBA.com’s shot tracking data; the former would qualify as a defender withing 4-6 feet and the latter involving a defender 6+ feet away. That was with all 18 makes occurring via catch-and-shoot opportunities. Furthermore, he didn’t favor any particular spot as his shot chart indicates he took 18 attempts from the left corner, 20 from the right, 26 from above the break and 1 somehow considered a mid-range attempt.
Perhaps his greatest strength offensively is his ability to convert mid-range pull-ups which has become something of a lost art in today’s spacing defined league. 50 of his 319 total field goal attempts were from the mid-range area, good for roughly 15.7 percent, per NBA.com’s shooting data. He converted 44.0 percent of said opportunities and looked ultra-confident pulling up on defenders while doing so. If the Penn State product never truly develops a reliable 3PT shot, he could hang his hat on his mid-range game at the very least.
Another strength Stevens has shown is a good sense for when to cut to the rim whether it be via the backdoor, curl, or V cuts; he noticeably improved in that area last season. Something he has worked on in the past and should continue to work on in the future in an effort to further unlock the offense when he is on the floor.
With all of that said, where he may shine the brightest and may in fact be most underappreciated is on the defensive end. Listed at 6-foot-6, 230 lbs, Stevens has wing size and a strong enough frame to defend the power forward position which is a great thing to have at your disposal at the pro level because of the popularity of the wing position in today’s NBA.
He has showcased this versatility over the course of his two seasons with the Cleveland-based team as he has lined up at the 2, 3, and 4 spots at times. In fact, although classified as a forward, 8 of Stevens’ 13 starts this season came at the shooting guard position. Some of these starts were a direct result of numerous injuries to the position group as a whole but it goes without saying that head coach J.B. Bicketstaff clearly trusts him enough to trot him out there at multiple positions and to defend where needed.
Statistically speaking, Stevens will not wow you. His 109.7 defensive rating and -1.3 net rating from last season do not scream highly impactful defender but when you take into account the fact that Stevens often took on very tough defensive assignments at multiple positions, the advanced analytics just don’t do his impact justice.
Overall, he has exhibited flashes at various moments throughout his short career. If he can display a high-level of consistency next season on the offensive end, he may be in line to receive regular rotation minutes as well as a breakout.
Stevens has already improved across the board from year 1 to year 2 and if he can take the next step as a 3PT shooter, he could warrant serious consideration as a breakout candidate for a team chock-full of potential candidates.