I'm not going to lie. Going into tonight's preseason game in Manchester, I didn't know a thing about Stephen Lasme and ultimately thought he had zero chance of making the final roster. Earlier this week I described why I thought the other Celtics camp invitee Mario West could make the team, but never did I think about Lasme.
Lasme stole the show for the Celtics once he entered the game at the 7:07 mark of the fourth quarter tonight. He started with a nice dunk in the lane, followed by a jump shot, five free throws, and ended with a nice "and one" play in the lane. All of this accounted for twelve points in 3 minutes 54 seconds of action.
He even got a rise from the bench following his "and one" play at the 3:13 mark.
After his performance you can't help but wonder, could this guy end up making the team? Lasme's 6ft 8in stature could prove to be much more beneficial for the Celtics, who are looking for more depth at the small forward position, than a 6ft 5in Von Wafer.
Speaking of Wafer, if Von Wafer's play tonight is any indication of how he's going to play in the future we might as well waive him now. Wafer suffered the second worst plus/minus on the team with a -2 (beating out only rookie Luke Harangody), turned the ball over two times, and commited three personal fouls (including a foolish technical fould towards the end of the game).
With Mario West also not making a very big impression, Lasme must be very excited after leaving the arena in Manchester tonight. Doc Rivers has stated multiple times that "they will put the best 15 players on the roster". Tonight, Lasme proved he can be one of those top 15 players.
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