Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 at 8:00 am  |  33 responses

SLAMonline Mock Draft: Lance Stephenson, No. 24

Born Ready? We ready.

by Lang Whitaker | @langwhitaker

So, the Atlanta Hawks are on the clock for the 2010 Mock Draft, which means…well, nothing.

For the first time in a while, the Hawks aren’t drafting high enough to fill an immediate need. Even if they don’t keep Joe Johnson, the Hawks aren’t looking for anything in this Draft more than just a back-up capable of playing 5-10 minutes a night, if that.

Worst-case scenario, I think the Hawks will take a big man that’s a project (maybe someone like Hassan Whiteside) and spend a couple of years trying to turn him into another Solomon Jones type, a back-up center who can play a couple of minutes and give you a couple of fouls if need be.

Best-case scenario? That’s tough to say. Besides the aforementioned Solo Jones and Royal Ivey back in 2004, the Hawks historically haven’t had much luck with low-first/second round picks. And as GM in Seattle before coming to Atlanta, Hawks GM Rick Sund’s draft history is underwhelming at best (drafted Mo Sene tenth in 2006, Johan Petro twenty-fifth in 2005, Robert Swift seventeenth in 2004). If anything, it appears that Sund had been willing to try going low-risk/high-reward in the Draft. If the guy pans out, great. If he doesn’t, let him go.

With all that in mind, let’s allow Commissioner Stern to take the podium…

With the 24th pick in the 2010 SLAMonline Mock Draft, the Atlanta Hawks select…

Lance Stephenson from the University of Cincinnati.

128jwls_0609Seriously? Sure. And why not?

Up until Monday, I was thinking perhaps the Hawks should take a shot at a local kid like Gani Lawal, who could come in and develop and maybe have some impact a year or two from now. And then Ben threw Lance’s name out there, and the more I thought about it, the more I figured, what the heck? What do the Hawks have to lose if Lance doesn’t pan out? Low-risk, high reward.

I covered the 2008 NCAA Final Four down in Atlanta for SLAM, and during that weekend, adidas had a camp for the best high schoolers. My main man Sekou Smith and I swung by the camp one morning just to sit in and watch them practice, and out of all the kids there, the one who immediately stood out to me and Sekou was Lance: big-bodied, smart with the ball, obvious understanding of the game. Watching him play that day, I thought of all the top kids in the Class of 2009, Lance was obviously going to be the best.

But he got in trouble in high school — he eventually ended up pleading guilty to a charge of disorderly conduct and received a punishment of three days of community service — and his recruiting process got drawn out because of the court process. Lance didn’t sign with Cincinnati until the end of June, 2009, and people were predicting he’d cause problems or be a headache. But he really didn’t, other than occasionally rolling his eyes or dropping his shoulders when his teammates screwed up. And after just one season at Cincy, Lance declared for the NBA Draft.

I love that Lance has a high basketball IQ and understands the game well enough to do a lot of things (rebound, score, pass). He’s 6-7 and a solid 225, an NBA-ready body. And I really like that Lance has a great midrange game, which would fit in nicely with Atlanta’s second team, with Jamal Crawford bombing away from the outside and Zaza flailing away on the inside.

ESPN.com quotes a scout who saw Lance in the Draft workouts as saying, “As far as guys who just know how to play, he’s it. He’s going to be great in ‘iso’ situations in the league. If all the red flags about him weren’t there, I’m pretty sure this kid’s a lottery pick. He’s going to tempt a lot of people.”

Well, I’m tempted. And if I was running the Hawks, with the 24th pick and not a lot to lose, I’d go for it. And about those red flags: I think it’s also worth considering that Lance has never played for a team where he wasn’t the best player. Let him come to Atlanta and realize that he needs the Hawks a lot more than they need him.

Basically, I say present Lance with a challenge. And I think he just might surprise a lot of people. If he doesn’t, you let him go. But if does, well, that could cause a whole other set of problems. The good kind of problems.

(As I was finishing writing this, just for the heck of it I went and looked at my former nemesis Chad Ford’s latest mock draft. Who does he have the Hawks taking at number 24? Lance Stephenson. Sometimes I can’t win for losing.)

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  • Bryan Posted: Jun.16 at 8:18 am
    I’ve always felt Lance would be a much better pro than college player. I think he’s going to end up being really good.

  • Jukai Posted: Jun.16 at 8:20 am
    Seems a bit risky to me but he WAS on a Slam cover. Those dudes are never busts, right?

  • Lang Whitaker Posted: Jun.16 at 8:56 am
    @Jukai: Exactly!

  • Atrain Posted: Jun.16 at 9:06 am
    What position is he going to play in the NBA? Seemed a little thick in college to play SG in the pros

  • Groves Posted: Jun.16 at 10:10 am
    im gunning for him!

  • T-Money Posted: Jun.16 at 10:24 am
    If I were Lance I’d watch tons of Paul Pierce tape, especially in isos. They have the same body type, sneaky athleticisim and sort of feel for the game. Yeah, he doesn’t have super hops and is kinda streaky from deep but he knows how to play and is just crafty.

  • Maurice Bobb Posted: Jun.16 at 11:16 am
    I feel like Born Ready will end up being the steal of this draft. He comes to the table with no buzz and no hype, but this kid can flat out ball and I think the pro game is more suited for his skill set. No doubt, he’ll def be on my radar for the 2010-11 season.

  • niQ Posted: Jun.16 at 11:25 am
    It’s a good risk to take. I have a weird feeling he might even go higher in the actual draft.

  • Ben Osborne Posted: Jun.16 at 11:42 am
    This really made my day. Great stuff, Lang.

  • NotebookNick Posted: Jun.16 at 11:46 am
    Agreed on the Pierce-watch suggestion, so long as he doesn’t act like he’s been shot every time he’s fouled. Pierce came in a mid-range specialist all those years ago. Good foundation to build on.

  • SLAM ONLINE | » Hot Topics Posted: Jun.16 at 11:55 am
    [...] Mock Draft: Lance Stephenson [...]

  • rainman10 Posted: Jun.16 at 12:43 pm
    I see Boston or Chicago taking him earlier in the draft.

  • R2J Posted: Jun.16 at 1:02 pm
    I’m not sure if ATL will have the guts to pick him at 24. He can contribute quickly but I think ATL will draft another PG but I think it’s idealistic for them to get Lance. I think he would fit in and takeover where Joe Johnson leftoff.

  • chingy Posted: Jun.16 at 1:08 pm
    Watch some melo too, I can see him being a shorter version of Melo

  • papa Posted: Jun.16 at 1:11 pm
    i dunno what pick he should be, but he should def be a first round pick. all the bs surrounding him really shuldnt be as much of a concern as its been in my opinion. i think hes going to be a good, solid prove why hes called born ready. but if he does go in the second round, hopefully that ignites some sort of fire within him to be even greater than we all thought

  • chris Posted: Jun.16 at 1:52 pm
    This is so stupid . you guys obviously just want to be good with lance so maybe he will give you interviews. Stephenson was a terrible teammate. He took to many bad shots. Hes slow and only shoots 22% from college three. there is a reason that there is no hype surrounding him. Hype is usually in the right place, nad right now he has none

  • ctkennedy Posted: Jun.16 at 2:17 pm
    he got more heart than joe johnson already i aint seen him play a second yet

  • e Posted: Jun.16 at 3:33 pm
    lance will be a big steal his game isnt suited for college i remember this kid flat out holding his won and scoring like 40 points on the same court as jamal crawford ,brandon roy , and nate robinson ohhh yeah did i mention he was 15 and he got mvp

  • dfrance Posted: Jun.16 at 4:23 pm
    I think “his game isn’t suited for college” is such a cop out. either you can play or you can’t play. It’s about adjusting to the style of play. Seriously, what does that even mean? What is a college game? When people do great in college and then stink up the NBA, do we say “oh, well his game isn’t suited for the pros.” Or do we say that the kid is a bust?

  • zeke Posted: Jun.16 at 4:44 pm
    i thought lance was supposed to be a top 15 pick?

  • ol ricky rhodes Posted: Jun.16 at 5:20 pm
    both

  • I.DOT Posted: Jun.16 at 5:56 pm
    I think the Hawks are gonna get either Dominique Jones, Terrico White, or Elliot Williams. I really can’t see Lance as a Hawk.

  • Ben Osborne Posted: Jun.16 at 6:02 pm
    @chris I don’t think we have to worry about getting interviews with anyone other than maybe Michael Jordan and Bill Russell these days.

  • Bryan Posted: Jun.16 at 8:04 pm
    dfrance, sometimes someone is a great player in college and his game doesn’t translate to the pros so why not vice versa?

  • roybot Posted: Jun.16 at 8:22 pm
    people are sleeping on him just because he had no great teammates at cincy and was put into situations where he either should pass it to an inferior teammate who cant make play, or force the issue himself. All he needs is good, disciplined coaching and a teammate that will give him good looks and iso situations.

  • jay rich Posted: Jun.16 at 11:13 pm
    Lance is easily one of the best players in the draft. Due to the fact that he was ganged up on by the media (as a high school KID)many teams ran with it. Know whats going to happen is a good team is going to pick this kid up and the late first round like the lakers, magic, suns, or hawks and become much better while a lesser team will take a gamble with a less skilled player. That decision is going to burn because Lance will be a better pro than college player.

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Jun.16 at 11:37 pm
    Anyone think the Knicks will buy a late first round pick and end up drafting Lance Stephenson? I’ve heard rumors that the Knicks were planning on getting a pick, so why not Lance? He’s a New Yorker, and if D’Antoni doesn’t hate him he could end up flourishing in New York.

  • Jukai Posted: Jun.17 at 1:39 am
    Teddy: Guarantee D’Antoni will hate him

  • SLAM ONLINE | » SLAMonline Mock Draft: Elliot Williams, No. 25 Posted: Jun.17 at 8:03 am
    [...] Mock Draft: Lance Stephenson [...]

  • French Toast Posted: Jun.17 at 8:29 am
    Lance is 6-5 .75 with shoes, not 6-7. The main issue he is very poor from deep and maybe, he lacks maturity. But so we said from OJ Mayo (but Mayo averages 20.7 at usc as a frosh)

  • Jahi Posted: Jun.17 at 2:16 pm
    I’ve been saying it since the Final Four that Jamal Crawford and Lance Stephenson are the sleepers in this draft, period. Great article.

  • SLAM ONLINE | » SLAMonline Mock Draft: Solomon Alabi, No. 26 Posted: Jun.18 at 9:02 am
    [...] Lance Stephenson [...]

  • Andrew Posted: Jun.23 at 11:23 pm
    I really want to see Lance join brandon jennings as a buck. Either that or as a Knick but yeah as soon as D’antoni hears Coney islands finest hes going to have flashbacks of marbury and hate the kid

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