5 issues to learn about new Celtic ahead Lamar Stevens

Celtics

The 26-year-old performed the primary three seasons of his NBA profession with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Stevens will probably combat for a roster spot in coaching camp and preseason play. AP Photograph/AJ Mast

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The Celtics reportedly signed guard/ahead Lamar Stevens to a deal on Friday forward of coaching camp, in accordance with The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

The ex-Cleveland Cavalier and San Antonio Spur will battle for a roster spot main as much as the 2023-24 season. With the addition of Stevens, who’s listed primarily as a ahead, Boston’s depth on the place presently seems like this:

Forwards: Jayson Tatum, Kristaps Porzingis, Sam Hauser, Jordan Walsh, Oshae Brissett, Lamar Stevens

Listed here are 5 issues to know concerning the new 26-year-old Celtic:

He was a four-star recruit out of highschool.

Stevens, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, native, attended Haverford Excessive Faculty earlier than transferring to Roman Catholic Excessive Faculty his senior 12 months. He was named an all-state student-athlete in his final two years.

The 6-foot-6 wing was ranked Pennsylvania’s high highschool basketball participant his senior season. Stevens earned himself an 80 scouting grade from ESPN out of highschool.

Stevens was ranked No. 100 in ESPN’s 2016 High 100 recruits checklist. He was additionally listed as Pennsylvania’s third-ranked highschool basketball participant.

He acquired affords from Indiana, Penn State, and Villanova.

Finally committing to Penn State and enjoying there for 3 years, Stevens was wanted by a handful of premier basketball applications like Indiana and Villanova. Different faculties he was interested by included Marquette, Maryland, Pittsburgh, Southern Methodist, and Temple.

Villanova was the primary faculty to increase a suggestion to Stevens. The Wildcats have been in on him early, sending over their provide when Stevens was only a sophomore.

Stevens selected Penn State in the long run, remaining in his dwelling state, although three-and-a-half hours from his hometown of Philadelphia. He dedicated to the Nittany Lions originally of his senior 12 months. Stevens cited hitting it off shortly with then-head coach Pat Chambers as a giant motive why he selected Penn State.

“Me and coach Chambers, we simply had … probably the most open, trustworthy dialog with one another,” Stevens mentioned shortly after committing. “And that’s actually after I bought the sensation that I knew I might belief this man, I’d belief coach Chambers with my life.”

He performed alongside two highschool teammates at Penn State.

Fellow Pennsylvania all-state alternatives Tony Carr and Nazeer Bostick joined Stevens as Nittany Lions out of highschool. The three competed collectively in Roman Catholic’s championship-winning recreation as seniors and clearly labored nicely as teammates.

Regardless of Stevens transferring to Roman Catholic his senior 12 months, he and Carr had been finest associates since center faculty.

The duo continued to tear it up on the collegiate stage as Carr was named a Large-Ten All-Freshman and Stevens claimed Participant of the Week honors in February. Each even scored 20 factors in the identical recreation twice as freshmen.

He went undrafted in 2020.

Though Stevens is fifth all-time on Penn State’s scoring checklist with 1,660 factors, he was not drafted after leaving faculty a 12 months early for the 2020 NBA draft.

Cleveland finally agreed to a two-way contract with Stevens shortly after the draft. He shortly made his debut a couple of days after the 2020-21 season opener in late December. Stevens appeared in 40 video games as a rookie, all coming off the bench.

Seemingly taking delight in making an NBA profession after not being chosen by a crew, Stevens confirmed assist for his former Cavaliers and undrafted teammate Dean Wade when he signed a contract extension final September.

He’s identified for his defensive prowess.

Whereas Stevens just isn’t essentially identified for his offense, the 230-pound wing reveals out on the defensive finish. He owns a profession 111.3 defensive ranking, a stat derived from the variety of factors the participant permits per 100 possessions.

Stevens owned one of the best defensive ranking with the Cavaliers final season at 111.1 in 62 video games. Thus, his crew secured the league’s lowest defensive ranking in 2022-23 at 110.6.

In his three-year NBA profession, Stevens is nice for a half-steal each recreation and 0.3 blocks per contest.

These stats clearly imply one thing to his new crew. The Celtics reportedly need Stevens to assist fill the toughness gap left by the departures of Marcus Sensible and Grant Williams, per The Boston Globe’s Adam Himmelsbach.

Boston’s coaching camp begins on Tuesday, Oct. 3.