Nate Taylor

nate.taylor@indystar.com

Pacers at Raptors, 7 p.m. Friday, Fox Sports Indiana

TORONTO — Paul George heard the enthusiasm in Lance Stephenson’s voice. George and Stephenson, the former teammates, chatted on the phone Wednesday before the Indiana Pacers’ game against the Memphis Grizzlies. They reminisced, laughed and began, for the first time in four years, envisioning their future as teammates again.

Stephenson, the tenacious, versatile and mercurial combo guard who once flourished in a blue and gold Indiana uniform, will make his stunning return to the Pacers later this week and be reunited with George.

He signed a three-year, $12 million deal Thursday that includes a team option in the final year of the contract. The Pacers, in their news release, said they expect Stephenson to make his debut in Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Stephenson posted the following comment on Instagram: "Wow who would of thought. So happy to be back home. Let's go pacer nation"

George, who played alongside Stephenson the first four years of his career, said he is eager to play with one of his closest friends in the NBA again.

“We had special memories,” George said after the Pacers’ loss Wednesday. “We’ve definitely got a bond on that court. Hopefully we pick up where we left off. He’s excited. He’s always considered Indiana home, so he’s very excited to play with me and us again. This is where he made his name and made his mark. He’s got that in the back of his mind. He definitely thinks he can help this team.”

MORE ON LANCE:

Insider: Desperate Pacers add Lance Stephenson

Twitter reacts to Lance Stephenson re-signing with the Pacers

Stephenson was a key starter in the Pacers’ run to back-to-back Eastern Conference finals appearances in 2013 and ’14. He stepped into the starting lineup in place of an injured Danny Granger in 2012-13 and averaged 8.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists after making just a single start his first two seasons. In 2013-14, Stephenson averaged 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists, all career highs.

“We’re very happy to have Lance back as part of our team,” Pacers president Larry Bird said in a statement. “We always knew he wanted to come back here, and we feel now is the right time, not only for the rest of this season, but moving forward. We look forward to having a long relationship with him, because we know what he can bring to our franchise, both on and off the court.”

The Pacers’ bench is depleted with Al Jefferson (sprained left ankle) out at least two weeks and Glenn Robinson III (left calf strain) being reevaluated late next week. Stephenson replaces Rodney Stuckey, who was waived Wednesday after suffering a knee injury. Coach Nate McMillan used all five starters at least 32 minutes in the Pacers’ disappointing 115-114 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday.

Stephenson will be asked to bring a level of intensity and tenacity that the Pacers have lacked at times this season. He will likely come off the bench and could have some ball-handling responsibilities.

George is the only player on this season’s roster who has previously played with Stephenson. Yet several of George’s teammates after Wednesday’s game said they were looking forward to welcoming Stephenson to the team.

“Everyone will have open arms,” Monta Ellis said of Stephenson. “We need him. Whatever he brings to the table, we’re going to need that. We just have to continue to play hard and we’ve got to play together. When we share the ball, move the ball, play together, everything flows right. We just have to do the things we’re supposed to do.”

If Stephenson makes his debut in Sunday’s game, the Pacers will have just six games to acclimate their newest player into their system in their attempt to secure a spot in the playoffs. Indiana, who has a disappointing 37-38 record, entered Thursday in eighth place in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, a game-and-a-half ahead of ninth-place Chicago.

George believes the transition won’t be as difficult for Stephenson as it would be for another player due to Stephenson’s relationships with McMillan and assistant Dan Burke, the team’s defensive guru.

“Lance is a ball player and he’s a guy that fits right in,” George said. “I think one area that we need and we’re lacking is a shot creator and a playmaker (in the second unit), and you’ve got a guy that can do both of those.”

Stephenson remains fond of Bird, despite turning down his contract offer after the 2013-14 season. Stephenson, 26, was one of Bird’s best draft finds with the 40th selection in 2010. He also become a polarizing figure during his four seasons with the Pacers, bringing infectious energy to the team but also providing distractions, including a reported fight with teammate Evan Turner at a practice during in the 2014 playoffs.

C.J. Miles, the player Bird signed in 2014 after Stephenson left the team, said the Pacers won’t ask Stephenson to change his personality or playing style to fit the team.

“We’ll just ask him to be him,” Miles said. “Everybody knows all the other stuff, but if you look past it you see a guy who plays hard and plays with passion every night. He knows the system. Some of us haven’t played with him, but he passes the ball and he pushes the tempo. It’s just about meshing because that’s always a dynamic. I think if everybody’s goal is common, it should work. I don’t see why it wouldn’t.”

On Wednesday, the team waived Stuckey, who was expected to miss at least four to six weeks rehabbing from a strained patellar tendon in his left knee.

“It’s tough because Rodney is one of my favorite guys,” Myles Turner said. “He took me under his wing last year, even this year some, just talking with me off the floor. It’s going to weird not having him around. This is my first taste of the business and it sucks it happens. Hopefully Lance can helps us.”

George said he respected Stuckey’s toughness and he hopes Stephenson will replenish the physicality the Pacers once displayed. Stephenson and the Pacers want recapture the success they had together.

Since he left the Pacers, Stephenson has struggled. He averaged just 8.2 points on 37.6 percent shooting after signing with the Charlotte Hornets. He was then traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, who then traded him to Memphis. The Grizzlies declined his extension after last season and Stephenson played six games each with the New Orleans Pelicans and the Timberwolves this season, averaging 6.6 points, while battling multiple injuries.

“He’s ready and hopefully he can stay healthy,” George said of Stephenson. “That’s been a big problem for him, but our training staff knows Lance’s body just as good as anybody in this league.”

Stephenson, according to a league source, is thrilled to have a second chance to play for the Pacers. Stephenson spent Wednesday talking with several people in the organization to express his excitement and prepare of the most critical stretch of the team’s season.

When Stephenson talked with George, the two kept discussing how much they would cherish wearing the same blue and gold uniform again.

“I, for sure, can’t wait for him to get back in that jersey,” George said. “I know Indiana and the fans are going to enjoy him back in that jersey, too.”

Call IndyStar reporter Nate Taylor at (317) 444-6484. Follow him on Twitter:@ByNateTaylor.

Download our Pacers app to stay updated: http://bit.ly/1BR4fDs

INDIANA at TORONTO

Tipoff: 7 p.m. Friday, Air Canada Centre, Toronto.

TV: Fox Sports Indiana

Radio: WFNI-AM (1070), -FM (107.5).

Storylines:

>> The Raptors (45-30) suffered their first loss in two weeks Wednesday to the Charlotte Hornets to snap their six-game winning streak. DeMar DeRozan continues to play well in the absence of Kyle Lowry (right wrist injury). DeRozan has averaged an impressive 32.8 points in the Raptors’ last five games. He has also averaged 5.6 assists during that stretch. In the previous meeting between the teams, the Raptors won behind strong perimeter shooting and a large 51-33 rebounding advantage.

>> No matter where you look, the Pacers’ odds of making the postseason are falling after losing four of their last five games. ESPN’s basketball power index has the Pacers’ chance of making the playoffs at 63.4 percent, which is down from the previous week but still higher than the Chicago Bulls at 58.6 percent. FiveThirtyEight.com, the statistical analysis site, has the Pacers’ odds at 62 percent of making the playoffs with their record prediction at 40-42 for the season.



>> Lavoy Allen appears to be playing better as his health has improved in the past two weeks. Allen has averaged 7.2 rebounds in the past five games after missing seven games after the All-Star break with soreness in both his knees. Allen’s rebounding is a welcomed increase for the Pacers (37-38) since they are likely to play the remainder of the regular season without Al Jefferson (sprained left ankle).

>> Prediction: The Pacers are desperate for a win and should play with such an urgency after their dreadful performance Wednesday in Memphis. Unfortunately, the Raptors have more depth at the moment and could continue the Pacers’ road woes. Raptors 101, Pacers 97.

– Nate Taylor