Candace Buckner

candace.buckner@indystar.com

The last installment of our 2013-14 Indiana Pacers' positional analysis also stands as the first priority this offseason. The shooting guard position features a pair of free agents but only one likely has a future with the Pacers.

Position analysis: Pacers' center of decline?

Position analysis: Power forward was team's most consistent spot

Position analysis: Point guard play plagued Pacers all season

Position analysis: Small forward Paul George still has a ways to go

LANCE STEPHENSON

For pure entertainment purposes, no Pacer was worth the price of admission more than Lance Stephenson. He chased triple-doubles. He wiggled his hips. He channeled Michael Jordan and Gene Simmons with his tongue wagging. He flopped into infamy and fines. He even blew in LeBron James' ear.

In spite of these dubious shenanigans, the 23-year-old Stephenson is one of the most important players for the Pacers.

It started last summer when Stephenson committed himself to refining his game, which eventually led him to finish second overall in the NBA's Most Improved Player voting.

Before the season began, the thought existed that Danny Granger would return and compete for a starting spot, which would have relegated Stephenson to the sixth-man role. However, Granger did not recover from his injuries in time for the start of the season, allowing the Pacers to do what they needed to do regardless of Granger's health: let Lance live.

Stephenson, who intermittently worked with shooting coach Hal Wissel over the summer, not only improved his scoring (13.8 points per game) but also transformed into a solid perimeter option (career-high 49.1 percent from the field and 35.2 on 3-pointers, up from 46.0 and 33.0). Even better, when Stephenson ramped up his aggression with 15 or more shots, the Pacers were 10-4.

Stephenson also brought an endless supply of energy to the court. He fit into the Pacers' identity, ranking sixth in the league in defensive win shares, a statistic that approximates the number of wins a player manufactures for his team on defense. No other shooting guard in the NBA pulled down more rebounds than Stephenson, who averaged a team-best 7.2.

On the other end, Stephenson provided some character to an otherwise less than dynamic Pacers' halfcourt offense. When a guard relies on isolation, the knee-jerk response is that the player has ball hog tendencies. However, Stephenson showed a skillful touch in iso, shooting 70-of-153 (45.8 percent) from the field and producing a score — anything from a 3-point shot to a free throw — 46.9 percent of the time, according to Synergy Sports. Stephenson also led the Pacers with 263 points on drives to the basket. So, even when the ball stuck in his hands, he frequently produced a positive result.

Outside of his own offense, Stephenson averaged 4.6 assists, another team-leading mark. The other side of being a ball dominant guard, of course, is that Stephenson makes his share of mistakes; he ranked 20th in the league with 210 turnovers (109 of those were bad passes as Stephenson often tried for highlight assists). However, Stephenson's highest turnover games did not always come at the detriment of the overall team success. In the 10 games in which he committed five or more turnovers, the Pacers finished 6-4, including a win over Washington when Stephenson flirted with a quadruple-double, finishing with eight turnovers along with seven points, 10 assists and 11 rebounds.

There were other 'Bad Lance' moments. Stephenson appeared oblivious that his teammates shared the same Madison Square Garden floor on March 19 as he attempted 16 shots and only dished two assists. A week later, he indefensibly picked up his second technical foul late and was ejected in the tight game against the Miami Heat after taunting Dwyane Wade.

Yet in spite of these lowlights — by the Eastern Conference finals, the antics reached distracting levels — Stephenson will enter free agency on July 1 as a wanted man. Even more, Stephenson will be pursued by the team that drafted and has nurtured him into the player who has a high ceiling.

"I always want him back," said team president of basketball operations Larry Bird at the end-of-season press conference. "You just don't let talent like that walk away if you can help it."

EVAN TURNER

The reason why Stephenson, an unrestricted free agent, has a better chance of returning than Evan Turner, a restricted free agent, is simple. Just look at the end of the season. The Pacers trusted Stephenson — Bad Lance and all — far more than they did the former No. 2 overall draft pick.

"Obviously, Lance is our No. 1 guy. Can't have 'em all," Bird said.

The Pacers traded Granger for Turner on Feb. 20 and expected him to be a versatile piece for the second unit during a championship run. But he made little impact in the playoffs, averaging only 12.4 minutes per game. Turner, who was leading Philadelphia in scoring at the time of the trade, looked uncomfortable trying to fit in as a role player. He did look to pass (Turner earned assists on 19.0 percent of his teammates' field goals while he was on the floor, second only to Stephenson) and, at least early on, appeared in seven clutch-time situations when the Pacers led or trailed by at least five points (the team was 6-1 in those games).

However, Turner was also a spotty shooter (just 34.8 percent in the paint) and a defensive problem. With Turner as the initial ball defender, opponents scored 46.8 percent of the time, according to Synergy Sports.

"The problem you get into when you ... bring a guy in that's used to playing 30-35 minutes and all of a sudden is down to 12-14, are they going to be able to handle that?" Bird said about Turner. "And to handle that is keep themselves prepared, keep themselves loose.

"When you come off the bench, you've got to be ready to go, I don't really know if that hurt him. Evan seemed like he had to get into a flow of the game before he really got it going. But I'm a firm believer, I love his game because he can do a little bit of everything. Whatever happens, wherever he's at next year, if he plays 30-35 minutes, he's going to average 17 points."

Call Star reporter Candace Buckner at (317) 444-6121. Follow her on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.