Expect PSU’s Lamar Stevens to fly up draft boards

The NBA has begun postponing the beginning of their draft process and will likely move the draft itself back as well but that is not stopping me from taking a look at more draft prospects as we wait for the hopeful return of the NBA. Last time we had a look at Charleston’s Grant Riller which you can find here but today we are looking at Penn State’s Lamar Stevens. 

Lamar was recruited to Penn State from Roman Catholic High School in Philadelphia 4 years ago. In high school, he was seen as a 6 foot 6 big man with not much else to his game. He did not shoot much and was mainly dominant on the inside. If you take a look at him now you wouldn’t believe that the current Lamar Stevens is the same player. Being a dominant wing for the Nittany Lions these past 2 seasons he has helped put PSU back on the college basketball map. Averaging over 17.5 points per game and 7 rebounds in 2019, Lamar led them to a 21-10 record and what would’ve been a likely march madness appearance. 

As well as being a leader on and off the court for Penn State, Stevens’ play has grown tremendously as well. Going from a guy who worked mainly in the paint with little dribble ability to someone who can run with the ball coast to coast and shoot from all over is incredible. Not to mention Stevens is incredibly athletic and has the ability to throw it down in transition if he has a lane. While his 3 pointer is not fully there yet, in a short period of time I think he can be able to shoot from there consistently. The amount that Stevens has been able to grow his game is astronomical and really makes you think what kind of player he can be 3-4 years down the line. 

Lamar gets overlooked a lot for several reasons but truly should be ranked higher on draft boards than he is currently. Despite that, I think teams are beginning to place him up higher as we speak. I see Lamar as a late 1st round talent with the energy and potential he brings to the next level. His age and school he attended might turn some teams away but these shouldn’t be major issues for what he can bring to the pros. Without those 4 years with Coach Chambers at PSU, Lamar wouldn’t have grown into the player that he is today and be an NBA prospect without those extra years at school. Those extra years also allowed him to be a veteran and an older presence in that locker room and be able to form leadership skills that can be very valuable for him. Another hit is that PSU has never been really known for its basketball players. Producing only 13 players in over 65 years, there has never been a game-changing player to come out of State College. I truly believe Lamar can break that status quo and make a name for himself in the pros with everything he has to his game.

I would think with the changes in how the draft preparation is being done you could look at a guy like Lamar Stevens and see him begin to fly up draft boards. He can be someone who comes in ready to work every day in practice. And as time goes on he can become more comfortable with his shots and get to a point where he can make a major impact in the NBA. I truly think scouts will take another look at his game and see he can bring a lot to an NBA franchise and truly grow under the right development coaches. I just continue to ask myself this one question, if Lamar has been able to add this much to his game in 4 years, what can he do with another 4?

Writer for The Liberty Line, Host of The Flyover Podcast. You can follow me on Twitter @JackPConnell

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