Lamar Stevens: The Cavaliers’ Junkyard Underdog

A little over a year ago, Lamar Stevens, started barking and the Cleveland Cavaliers have not looked back since from that point. The last few seasons, Koby Altman rebuilt the Cavs organization from the ground up, following LeBron James’ second departure. Last year was their statement that the Wine and Gold are back in business.

Everything about the new version of this team is different than before. When the King was in town, they always wore a target on their back. Now that they are a young, likable team full of nice guys, they have to manufacture their own motivation to come into every night and be the best version of themselves.

So they went with dogs.

They bark. They call themselves underdogs. They give out a giant golden junkyard dog chain after every win to the player who brings the most scrap and heart. The Dawg Pound always used to be a Cleveland Browns thing, but Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse might as well steal the nickname.

The way the Cavs have evolved from one of the most lowly, tense locker rooms to one of the best and most joyful in the league is nothing short of impressive. Lamar Stevens deserves a large portion of credit for the role he played in the transition. However, as charismatic and inspiring as Lamar is, he does more than bark and wave towels around on the bench.

He’s also a young talented basketball player, who was on the edge of breaking out last season. In the midst of his strong close to the season, Stevens averaged 13.7 points and 4.3 rebounds while slashing 60.4%/57.1%/77.8% and playing disruptive defense over a 6-game sequence in late March.

Going undrafted in 2020 after a 4-year career at Penn State, the 6’6″ swingman carved out a role within the Cavaliers as a gutsy, athletic wing with strong defensive tools and intriguing shotmaking ability. As Cleveland has upgraded in talent and invested more into other players on the roster, the former Nittany Lion has found himself on the outside looking in.

But it is no place he has not been in before. Lamar Stevens loves being the underdog. He will find a way to claim his place in the NBA. Just ask his trainer, Henry Woo Jr.

The birth of a basketball bond

About a year ago, roughly aligning with the birth of Cleveland’s junkyard dog identity, Henry Woo Jr. began training with Lamar Stevens, in an effort to finetune his game for success in the NBA. I had the opportunity to ask Woo some questions about what it was like working with the OG junkyard dog and what he sees in him.

Woo currently works with some other NBA players as well, such as Mohamed Bamba, Khem Birch, and Grant Riller. He’s relatively new to the training landscape and is on his way towards proving himself at the NBA level. He had no shortage of glowing words to say about his trainee, Lamar Stevens, who has since become his friend.

"“I respect the hell out of Lamar … Just as a human being he has helped me become not only a better trainer, but an overall better person and man … I love this dude. He will be my brother for life.” – Henry Woo Jr."

Coorelating with all the buzzing reviews Lamar has accumulated from his teammates and coaches, Woo’s impression of the Cavalier goes along the same lines. His infectious personality makes him such an easy person to root for.

"“I think that’s why he gets that dog mentality label, because he wants to always work… both on his game and in the game as well.” – Henry Woo Jr."

On his left ankle, Lamar dons a tattoo with the late Kobe Bryant’s famous quote: “Everything negative is all an opportunity for me to rise.” You can see how he takes inspiration from Kobe in several aspects. His jersey number. His shoes. His insatiable work ethic and defense, as well as his offensive mentality.

Last season, Stevens began to take noticeable strides in his development as a player at the NBA level. Having always been an offensive focal point in his basketball career, he’s had to take a step back and reconfigure his game to fit alongside the players that Cleveland has run the show on that end.

As the year went on, #8 demonstrated a much improved ability to operate with the right combination of pace and patience, choosing the right moments to flex his high skill level and athleticism for a wing. Along with his creation flashes, he’s investing more in cutting and rebounding plenty and often.

Lamar’s commitment to rounding out his game is an obvious testament to his work ethic, but both him and Woo know all the progress he makes as a player means little, unless he can take strides in one specific area of his game. His 3-pt shot. He sports a shot that has so far been wonky and ineffective.

"“Lamar understands that is his biggest area he must show growth in to play. And wow his jump has been tremendous … I do believe he can be a mid 33-35% 3-point shooter right now!” – Henry Woo Jr."

Placing a strong and continued emphasis on his jump shot, Woo is very encouraged about the progression Stevens has made as a shooting threat. This is big news if it proves to translate to the court. In the scenario where defenses start to respect his shot from beyond the arc, his value skyrockets, considering what else he brings to the table.

His stellar touch in the mid-range on pull-ups, fadeaways, and floaters should be a positive sign that he can find a footing from 3-point range, similar to a guy like Evan Mobley. Whereas with players in the mold of Isaac Okoro, who sport no in-betwen game, display much less encouraging indicators towards being a volume threat from deep.

What’s next for Lamar Stevens?

Guys with Lamar Stevens’ combination of athletic gifts and skill level rarely fail at the NBA level. It is just a matter of being patient with their development and finding the right fit. Henry Woo Jr is confident that place can be in Cleveland.

"“As far as style of play and what the Cavs are asking out of their wings, Lamar fits that to a tee. He can defend multiple positions at a high level, has size to play multiple positions, and offensively can play out in transition, be a cutter off of DG and Mitchell, and must make the wide open 3s that will fall into his lap…” – Henry Woo Jr."

With the core that Cleveland has in place (Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and theoretically Caris LeVert), they are primarily looking for wings that can fill in the gaps between their perimeter and interior players. Kevin Love, Dean Wade, and Cedi Osman have proven to support the core in a valuable way this season.

While Isaac Okoro has been given more opportunity due to his pedigree coming into the NBA, Lamar Stevens, Dylan Windler, and him are fighting for the chance to prove that they can add their name to that list.

It’s important to note that Stevens is not a finished product. He is putting in the work on his outside shot and his role within the team, but Woo made mention that hammering down his mid-range game remains a point of emphasis and refinement in their training sessions.

That spark of offensive flair is what makes him unique. How many lockdown defenders can calmly navigate through traffic and rip off a couple counters before rising and striking a pull-up from the elbow? When your best defenders can give you some substantial stuff to work with offensively, that is extremely valuable for an NBA team.

I asked Henry Woo Jr for some player comparisons he has in mind for his client. While he acknowledged that finding 1:1 comps for this guy is difficult, due to his rare offensive skill set, he listed the following as guys he sees shades of Lamar in: Mikal Bridges, Caleb Martin, Terrance Mann, and Norman Powell.

All these players have struggled with their jumper for a time in their NBA career, but managed to round out their games so that they could provide something of value both offensively and defensively. If there is anyone who has shown themselves as a good bet to put in the work and come away with success, then it is Lamar Stevens.

"“He is a big reason the Cavs have that ‘junkyard dog’ mentality with how hard he plays every night and the winning plays he makes just by being who he is. He brings a lot of intangibles that are just special … because of how hard he plays! I hope it works out in Cleveland, but I know he will do well in whatever situation he finds himself in.” – Henry Woo Jr."

Lamar Stevens will patiently wait for his opportunity to burst onto the scene in Cleveland once again, just like he did last season. Until then, he will keep working. To become a better person. A better teammate. A better player.

He’s more than a junkyard dog. He’s a hidden talent just waiting to be realized.

Thanks to Henry Woo Jr.

I’d like to extend one last thank you to Henry Woo Jr. for giving me the opportunity to pepper him with some questions about his first-hand experiences with one of my favorite players in the NBA. Just like Lamar Stevens, Woo is attempting to solidify his standing and ascend among the ranks of NBA trainers.

I’m certainly rooting for him and his future successes now as well, and you can, too. Be sure to find him on Twitter at @hwoo12 and on Instagram at @henrywoojr.