Lamar Stevens
Lamar Brandon Stevens (born July 9, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Penn State Nittany Lions.
 Stevens with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2021 | |
| No. 77 – Boston Celtics | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward / power forward |
| League | NBA |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 9, 1997 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College | Penn State (2016–2020) |
| NBA draft | 2020: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2020–present |
| Career history | |
| 2020–2023 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| 2023–present | Boston Celtics |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
High school career
Stevens attended The Haverford School in Haverford Township, Pennsylvania for his sophomore and junior years. At Haverford, he was named to All-State and All-District teams both years, as well as leading Haverford to two straight state championship runs. During his senior season he attended Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia where he played alongside future Penn State teammates, Tony Carr and Nazeer Bostick. During his senior year, Stevens was once again named to All-State and All-District teams, as well as All-Philadelphia. Roman Catholic dominated all season, ranking Number 1 in Pennsylvania and top 15 nationally, according to MaxPreps. Stevens scored 20 points on the way to winning the state championship game.
Recruiting
After the season, Stevens was ranked 100th on the ESPN's Top 100 recruits of 2016 and third-ranked overall in Pennsylvania.
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lamar Stevens SF |
Philadelphia, PA | Roman Catholic (PA) | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Sep 18, 2015 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 | ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
| ||||||
- Honors and Awards
- 3x PIAA AAAA All-State (2014, 2015, 2016)
- 2016 PIAA Class AAAA State Champions
- 2016 Philadelphia Player of the Year by the Daily News
- All-Philadelphia First Team (2016)
- 3x PIAA District 12 First Team (2014, 2015, 2016)
College career
During Steven's freshman season at Penn State, he started all 33 games for the Nittany Lions and was named Freshman of the Week multiple times with teammate Tony Carr. He was named as a First Team All-Freshman by the Big Ten and averaged over 12 points per game his first season. [1][2][3]
Stevens scored a season-high 30 points on January 5, 2018 against Northwestern.[4] As a sophomore, Stevens averaged 15.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He helped the Nittany Lions post a 26–13 record and win the NIT. Stevens was named Most Outstanding Player of the NIT.[5]
As a junior, Stevens averaged 19.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game. He was named All-Big Ten Conference first-team accolades by the media and second-team honors from the league’s coaches. Stevens was an All-District VII second-team selection by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.[6] After the season, Stevens declared for the 2019 NBA draft but decided to return to Penn State.[7]
On December 16, 2019, Stevens was named Big Ten player of the week after scoring 18 points and collecting 11 rebounds in a victory over fourth-ranked and previously undefeated Maryland.[8] On February 1, 2020, Stevens became the third player in school history to surpass 2,000 career points, scoring 13 points in a 76–64 win against Nebraska.[9] He scored a career-high 33 points on February 8, leading the Nittany Lions to a 83–77 win over Minnesota.[10] At the close of the regular season, Stevens was named to the First Team All-Big Ten by the coaches and media.[11]
Professional career
Cleveland Cavaliers (2020–2023)
After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA draft, Stevens was signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers to a two-way contract.[12] He made his NBA debut on December 28, 2020 in a 118–94 win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He scored two points and collected two rebounds in five minutes of action.[13] On February 23, 2021, he scored eight points, including a game-winner, in a 112–111 win over the Atlanta Hawks.[14] On April 14, 2021, Stevens signed a multi-year contract with the Cavaliers.[14]
On July 6, 2023, Stevens was traded to the San Antonio Spurs as part of a three-team trade with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers,[15] and on July 17, he was waived.[16]
Boston Celtics (2023–present)
On September 26, 2023, Stevens signed with the Boston Celtics.[17]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Cleveland | 40 | 0 | 12.5 | .456 | .160 | .725 | 2.4 | .6 | .4 | .3 | 4.1 |
| 2021–22 | Cleveland | 63 | 13 | 16.1 | .489 | .277 | .707 | 2.6 | .7 | .5 | .3 | 6.1 |
| 2022–23 | Cleveland | 62 | 25 | 18.1 | .448 | .316 | .702 | 3.3 | .5 | .4 | .3 | 5.3 |
| Career | 165 | 38 | 16.0 | .467 | .281 | .710 | 2.8 | .6 | .5 | .3 | 5.3 | |
Play-in
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Cleveland | 1 | 0 | 6.5 | .667 | – | 1.000 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 7.0 |
| Career | 1 | 0 | 6.5 | .667 | – | 1.000 | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 7.0 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Cleveland | 2 | 0 | 4.4 | .500 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 2.5 |
| Career | 2 | 0 | 4.4 | .500 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 2.5 | |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | Penn State | 33 | 33 | 27.8 | .429 | .344 | .767 | 5.5 | 1.7 | .8 | .6 | 12.7 |
| 2017–18 | Penn State | 39 | 39 | 33.1 | .465 | .319 | .696 | 5.9 | 1.9 | .6 | 1.1 | 15.5 |
| 2018–19 | Penn State | 32 | 32 | 36.9 | .422 | .220 | .770 | 7.7 | 2.1 | .7 | .8 | 19.9 |
| 2019–20 | Penn State | 31 | 31 | 31.1 | .423 | .263 | .719 | 6.9 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 17.6 |
| Career | 135 | 135 | 32.2 | .435 | .276 | .738 | 6.5 | 1.9 | .8 | .9 | 16.3 | |
Personal life
Stevens is the author of the children's book "Lamar's Climb -- A Journey to Happy Valley." The book, which teaches geography based on his experience and involves people with special needs in the creative process, was distributed at Penn State games.[18]
References
- "Penn State beats Nebraska, 76–67, in the Big Ten tournament: recap, final stats, photos". PennLive.com. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- "Michigan State thrashes Penn State to open Big Ten Tournament". MLive.com. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- "'Grown up' Michigan State destroys Penn State in Big Ten tournament". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved July 28, 2017.
- Gery, Ryne (January 6, 2018). "Penn State's Lamar Stevens makes statement as one of Big Ten's best hybrid forwards". Centre Daily Times. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- Hunt, Donald (October 19, 2018). "Lamar Stevens named to Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award". The Philadelphia Tribune. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- "Men's basketball's Lamar Stevens named to 2019-20 preseason All-Big Ten Team". Penn State University. October 2, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- McGonigal, John (May 29, 2019). "Penn State basketball star Lamar Stevens withdraws name from NBA draft, returns to Nittany Lions". Centre Daily Times. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- "Illinois, Indiana and Penn State Claim Weekly Men's Basketball Honors". Bigten.org. CBS Interactive. December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
- Donohue, Tyler (February 1, 2020). "Stevens, Watkins reach milestones in 4th straight Lions win". 247Sports.com. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- "Stevens' leads No. 22 Penn State over Minnesota". ESPN. Associated Press. February 8, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
- "Big Ten Unveils Men's Basketball Postseason Honors on BTN" (Press release). Big Ten Conference. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- Brennan, Mark (November 19, 2020). "PSU's Stevens not taken in 2020 NBA Draft, signs free-agent deal". 247 Sports. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- Donohue, Tyler (December 28, 2020). "Former Penn State star Lamar Stevens scores in NBA debut". 247sports.com. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- "Cavaliers Sign Lamar Stevens to Multi-Year Contract". NBA.com. April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
- "SAN ANTONIO COMPLETES THREE-TEAM TRADE WITH CLEVELAND AND MIAMI". NBA.com. July 6, 2023.
- "SPURS WAIVE LAMAR STEVENS". NBA.com. July 17, 2023. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
- "Boston Celtics Sign Stevens". NBA.com. September 26, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
- Lingerman, Matt (February 7, 2020). "'A man for others': Lamar Stevens' children's book epitomizes his career with Penn State men's basketball". The Daily Collegian. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
External links
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- Penn State Nittany Lions bio