According to a report by The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Lamar Stevens, the 26-year-old Cleveland Cavalier wing will undergo a workout with the Boston Celtics with the potential of filling a roster spot. After the departure of Justin Champagnie, who recently signed with the Miami Heat, Brad Stevens now has two vacancies within his roster. Depth behind Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown seems to be something the green and white are interested in adding.
The former First Team All-Big Ten player has the potential to fill that need. It always seems like the team targets players who have had some sort of successful history against the Celtics. Back in early March of last season, Stevens scored a team-high five points in overtime in Ohio to lead J. B. Bickerstaff’s team to a four-point victory over the Tatum-less Cs.
Though his offense and shot-making abilities have not stood out in the slightest in three seasons with the Cavs, that hard-nosed defensive attitude is quite evident. The 26-year-old started in 25 games for an Eastern Conference playoff team in 2022-2023.
In his limited time, the Pennsylvania native finished fourth in shots contested per game among Cleveland players. Post All-Star break, only three of his Cavs teammates amassed a higher rebounding per game total. The six-foot-seven wing is incredibly athletic, showing off his leaping ability in transition at times last season. Some may say defensive depth does not make sense with a coach like Joe Mazzulla, but this team may need that kind of stopper considering the departures so far this offseason.
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