Clippers' Lance Stephenson Rues Charlotte Stint, Says Hornets Didn’t Use Him Properly

Lance Stephenson had a forgettable short stint with the Charlotte Hornets and is excited with the new system with his new team, the Los Angeles Clippers. In an interview, the shooting guard admitted that his game wasn’t maximized in his time with the Hornets.

"I don’t feel that. I was just sitting in the corner. That’s not trying to be a star. A star normally gets the ball," Stephenson told The Orange County Register referring to the 2014-2015 season with Charlotte. "I think the way they wanted me to be a star isn’t the way my game is."

With the Clippers, Stephenson showed appreciation for the new system where everyone is touching the ball as opposed to the Hornets’ plays for him.

"I’ve got the ball in my hands. We’re moving; we’re screening for each other. Everybody touches the ball in this unit. Anything can happen," Stephenson added in the interview.

Stephenson had his breakout season with the Indiana Pacers in 2013-2014 when he averaged 13.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 78 games in their regular season. With the Hornets however, those numbers dropped to 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 61 games as Charlotte missed the postseason.

Stephenson is seen as a key player in the Clippers’ campaign in the upcoming season primarily as a back-up in the wing rotation although he has to fight for minutes against the likes of veterans Jamal Crawford and Wesley Johnson.

In three preseason games for the Clippers, he averaged over 20 minutes per game although he still struggled to find his shot similar to his time with the Hornets last year.