The Indiana Pacers have agreed to a one-year contract with free agent guard Rodney Stuckey, reports Sam Amick of USA Today. The team didn't waste any team finding its replacement in the backcourt for Lance Stephenson, who signed with the Charlotte Hornets earlier on Wednesday.
Rodney Stuckey agrees to 1-year deal with Indiana Pacers
The Pacers quickly replaced Lance Stephenson on their roster Wednesday by agreeing to a deal with Rodney Stuckey.
Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
Stuckey may not be the kind of two-way player that Stephenson is, but he gives the team an affordable replacement on a short-term deal. The partnership between the Pacers and Stephenson seemed destined to end once he started looking for deals elsewhere this month, and clearly Indiana prepared itself for the time when he would finally depart.
What Stuckey should give the Pacers is a decent scoring option who can put the ball on the floor a little bit. Last season with the Pistons, Stuckey averaged 13.9 points per game on 44 percent shooting, and while he's not a good shooter from long range, he boosts his efficiency by attacking the rim and drawing fouls.
Still, Indiana’s coaching staff will have to figure out how to make up for the loss of Stephenson on the defensive end of the floor even after this signing. Stuckey has decent size at 6’5, but lacks strong instincts and wasn’t exactly a part of many great defensive efforts in Detroit.
So while the Pacers avoided a possible long-term headache by exchanging Stephenson for Stuckey, there are going to be some serious bumps in the road as everyone adjusts to the new backcourt. We also don’t know the money involved here, and it’ll be interesting to see how much Indiana is saving.
See More:
