The Sixers have a bevy of picks in the upcoming NBA draft. There are many needs and there are also roles for the players who will be selected. One of the players to keep an eye on for the Sixers is Philly native, Lamar Stevens.
A senior this past season for the Penn State Nittany Lions, Stevens saw exponential growth in his senior season.
He was one of the best players in the Big 10, a great locker-room guy, and loves his community. I sat down with Lamar to discuss the book he authored, his career at PSU, and his journey through the NBA draft process:
What inspired you to author something so special?
“Honestly, I felt like that was my way to connect with a community that was so great to me. At Penn State, we take pride in involving ourselves in our community, and Coach Chambers does a great job of having us be hands-on with the people who support us and have our back. I developed relationships with great kids doing things like the buddy walk, which is a walk for kids who have Down syndrome and participating in the Special Olympics.”
“I thought that was an opportunity for me to help them get into the spotlight. That was probably my top accomplishment, the thing that I’m most proud of. Just seeing the excitement on their face the day the book was released, they got to come onto the court, and everyone got to cheer for them and see the smiles on their face, so I think that’s the biggest and the best takeaway that happened to me during my time at Penn State.”
Is this something that you’d like to do again in the future?
“Oh, 100%, you know I’m definitely extremely invested in our youth. Just trying to leave any positive mark that I can on the world to make it a better place. So I definitely want to look for other opportunities to give back to communities and just allow everyone to know how incredible and special they are in their own special way”
Is there anywhere, Penn State or otherwise, is there anywhere that sells the book?
“So I was actually in the process of getting that completed at school and then COVID hit. That was honestly the plan after the season. The way everything has transition I have not had a chance to meet with the people I wanted to meet with but it will soon be sold somewhere and it’ll probably be posted on my Instagram page and my Twitter page when I do get it settled it will be coming out soon probably after the draft.”
What was it like to be a featured player from the get-go for your university?
“You know, you look at it, and you think, “It was great”. Honestly, it was a chance for me to come into a situation and play in the BIG 10 and come in and really grow from day one. I had to kind of navigate and figure some things out early on, and it taught me a lot… just about the team and about myself, and just what it takes to win.“
“I think Coach Chambers giving me that opportunity to come in and play right away and be a guy that started for all four years… I’m nothing but grateful. Each game, each year, and each practice, I really felt like I was able to learn and continue to grow and become the player that I am today.”
What did you do this past season for that kind of improvement, and was there a specific emphasis you placed on defense this year?
“Honestly, I think that I just grew up over my time at Penn State, and I realized and began to really take pride in the player that I wanted to become, and I knew for us to be special, I knew that we could score, but I wanted to be you know, a guy that could be an anchor on defense. I wanted to really use my length and quickness to become an anchor on defense, and as the leader, I wanted to show my teammates, “This is what I take pride in, and this is what will win us games.”‘
“I was lucky to have a group of guys that really believed in me and allowed me to be that leader and step up in those areas… Just really focused in and going through the draft process my junior year really just woke me up into the payer I wanted to become when it was my time to try and go for the NBA.”
You’ve made a conscious effort to increase your attempts from three and from the line, was that in preparation for the jump to the NBA, and is it still a focus of yours leading up to the draft?
“I think my biggest focus coming into the draft is becoming a better and more consistent shooter from three. Mainly, the thing that I wanted to show, to prepare me for the next level, is really just my versatility. I think that’s something that I wanted to put on the forefront and show how I can take advantage of mismatches and get past bigger guys and take smaller guys down low. I thought that was gonna be the biggest thing for me to get where I wanted to go.”
“Lamar, describe your game. How do you feel you make an impact?“
“I would first just say versatile I think that I’m a guy that can play multiple positions, guard multiple positions. I think I’m really effective in the midrange and close to the basket, just a versatile defender who guards multiple positions and has a really tough physical type of game.”
What has the [draft] process been like for you so far?
“It doesn’t really feel real for me yet cause everything is virtual, and I haven’t been able to go through the process as I did after my junior season, so it’s definitely been a little different for me, but I’ve been honestly just taking advantage of all this time that we’ve had and just try to work on myself. The process has been great. I feel like my game has grown a lot over this time, and I’ve been really able to focus and hone in on what I wanted since the season ended. I think I’ve learned a lot during this process, and my game has grown.”
What do you feel makes you unique compared to some or all of the other prospects in the draft?
“Just really my ability to do a lot of things, I think that’s what separates me. You look at guys like Jimmy Butler who just go in and do whatever it takes to win, guys who can go in the mid-range score inside, not saying that I would be a Jimmy Butler player, but I think that just his versatility and the way that the NBA is going switching offenses and having guys who can that can guard multiple positions is favorable for me and my style. I also think that my toughness allows me to play even bigger at times.”
“Also, just get a good person—someone who’s been through the riggers of the Big 10. I had to learn how to win over my four years. I think that I would make a great addition to any locker room and be able to uplift a team in a lot of different ways.”
Let’s get down to one thing a lot of people will want to talk about. You’re from Philly, were you a Sixers fan?
“Yes Sir.”
Probably more importantly, are you an Eagles fan?
“I am an Eagles fan… I’m a die-hard Philly guy… I am I definitely am.”
What’s one part of your game you think everyone’s sleeping on?
“I would say two things. I would say my growth and the improvement and the steps that I’ve taken from three. In High School, I was a guy who never shot any threes, and when I got to college, my adjustment from my game to expand and to get better was to become better at the midrange. Since this time, I’ve really focused on my three…and that’s something that I’m definitely excited to show.”
“Also, I think people know about my defensive versatility, but I think people kinda sleep on my ability to score on offense. In my junior year, I averaged 20 in the Big 10 and finished as the second-leading scorer in the conference. You just see how the NBA’s going, guys take advantage of mismatches and I felt like that’s really what I’ve done for the past two years. That’s something else that I’m excited to show. I definitely want to be a defense-first guy, but those are things I’m excited to show teams.”
Would you want to play for the Sixers? For your home crowd?
“I think that would be a dream come true if I were to have the ability to put on the Sixers’ jersey. I just remember watching like Allen Iverson and Aaron McKie and guys like that growing up. Those are my idols; those are guys that I looked up to, and for me to be able to be in this position where I may be able to put on that jersey that I watched growing up, my entire life, that’d just be a blessing. I think I would love that.”
Thoughts on Lamar Stevens
I have spoken to few athletes, even people in general, as impressive as Lamar Stevens. Maturity is an understatement, and wherever he plays, he will bring much to that team’s culture and the community.
It’s not all about off the court with Stevens either. He can play. While he’s not discussed among the top draft prospects, Stevens is committed to putting in the work to be better with each passing day and the Sixers should take notice.
He showed incredible growth from his junior to senior years and seems to have a solid grasp on the areas he needs to focus on.
If Stevens can become a reliable shooter from deep, he has the potential to become a nasty 3/D option that the Sixers sorely need. His defensive mentality, matched by his scoring ability, bodes well for a long NBA career.
I could easily see the Sixers draft Stevens with the intent to sign him to a two-way deal (at least initially) a la Shake Milton and Marial Shayok.
No matter where he lands, I will be rooting for Lamar Stevens, and I implore you to do the same.
