Change has been a major theme of the Pacers' offseason.
David West is a Spur. Roy Hibbert is a Laker. Luis Scola is a Raptor. C.J. Watson is a Magician, or whatever you call an NBA player in Orlando.
In their stead, Pacers President Larry Bird has brought in a slew of mostly younger players to help the team play at a faster pace. He drafted Myles Turner and Joe Young, signed Monta Ellis and Jordan Hill, and traded for Chase Budinger, all moves designed to help the team score more points.
But with so many new faces in the Pacers' locker room, a few important ones are returning. That list includes Rodney Stuckey, who officially re-signed with the Blue & Gold on Tuesday in a move that brings much needed stability to both parties.
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Stuckey was a major bright spot for the Pacers during the 2014-15 season, his first in Indiana. After seven up-and-down years in Detroit, Stuckey signed a one-year deal with the Pacers last summer, reportedly for the veteran minimum.
Questions about his character and his shooting limited the offers he received that summer, but Stuckey proved to be a seamless fit in the locker room and excelled on the court. The combo guard was the Pacers' third-leading scorer in 2014-15 and shot a career-best 44 percent from the field and 39 percent from 3-point range. After a solid season, Stuckey figured to have plenty of suitors on the open market this time around.
Bird made it clear in his postseason press conference that he hoped to bring Stuckey back to Indiana. And that's exactly what he did, signing the 29-year-old to a reported three-year contract.
"I wanted to be back," Stuckey said on Tuesday. "I was just waiting patiently. I knew things would play (themselves) out. Me and Larry had a good talk once the season was over. It was just all about being patient."
The feelings were mutual. Bird issued the following statement in the press release announcing Tuesday's signing: "I felt all along it was important to re-sign Rodney. He proved to us last year how much he could help. He’s a pro and a good teammate. We’re really happy to have him back. He added a lot to our team, on and off the court."
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If any player knows the value of stability, it's Rodney Stuckey. He had six different coaches in his seven seasons in Detroit, creating a difficult and volatile work environment for even the most professional athlete.
In Indiana, Stuckey was drawn to the cohesive nature of the organization, from the front office to the coaching staff to the trainers and equipment managers. Head coach Frank Vogel, the franchise's all-time leader in NBA coaching wins, will be back next fall for his sixth year as head coach, giving Stuckey the stability he craved for so many years in Detroit.
"I love everything about this place," Stuckey said. "The coaching staff is phenomenal with Frank and Pop(eye Jones) and Dan Burke and Nate (McMillan) and all those guys, to the training staff who kept me healthy all year to my teammates, the organization."
Stuckey's comfort level in Indiana grew over the course of last season. He especially flourished in the second half of the year, after he asked Vogel to remove him from the starting lineup. It was an unusual move for a veteran scorer to make, but Stuckey believed he could better help the team coming off the bench.
He was right.
After he moved into a sixth man role on Feb. 11, the Pacers won 10 of their next 11 contests. Stuckey scored 30 points in an upset win over the eventual NBA champion Golden State Warriors on Feb. 22. A few weeks later, he had a season-best 34 points, six rebounds, and seven assists in a blowout win over Orlando. All told, Stuckey scored in double figures in 15 of 16 contests from mid-February to mid-March before suffering a minor calf injury.
Looking ahead to next season, Stuckey wants to stick with the second unit.
"I think me coming off the bench is where I’m most comfortable at," he said. "I’m just looking forward to getting back in that role and contributing as much as I can. And I will."
That attitude is also somewhat out of deference for Ellis, a prolific scorer who boasts a career average of 19.3 points per game. Ellis figures to assume the starting shooting guard role, a position that Stuckey is more than willing to concede.
"He’s been a proven scorer in this league for so many years and he’s been starting for so many years at that '2' position," Stuckey said.
Still, Stuckey isn't going to take it easy on the veteran. He expressed excitement at the idea of adding Ellis to a backcourt that already includes himself and starting point guard George Hill, who averaged a career-best 16.1 points per game last season. Put those three together and you've got a formidable trio of scoring guards, a nice foundation for a team that Bird has said he hopes can score 6-8 more points per game next season.
"I’m just excited just to get out there and just compete with (Ellis)," Stuckey said. "We’re definitely going to have some battles in practice, but it’s only going to make us better. I’m looking forward to it."
In addition to backing up Ellis, Stuckey could see minutes at the point guard position as well. With Watson in Orlando and third-string point guard Donald Sloan currently a free agent, Hill and rookie Joe Young are the only point guards currently on the Pacers' roster. Stuckey has logged minutes at the point at times over his career, including in the early part of last season when both Hill and Watson were out with injuries.
How many minutes Stuckey ends up logging at point guard is one storyline worth watching next season. Here's another: can he shoot the ball as well as he did in his first season with the Pacers?
After failing to convert even 32 percent of his 3-point attempts in any of his seven seasons with the Pistons, Stuckey flirted with a .400 percentage from beyond the arc last season. He insists that that improvement wasn't a fluke, but instead a vindication of him staying dedicated to an intense shooting routine.
After each practice last year, Stuckey and teammate Damjan Rudež would stay late with associate head coach Nate McMillan to get up extra shots and were almost always among the last players to leave the court. Stuckey will need to find a new shooting partner next year since Rudež was recently traded to Minnesota, but he said he plans to stay committed to the same routine.
Speaking of commitment, Stuckey tied the knot last Friday with his fiancée, Heidi. Mr. and Mrs. Stuckey plan to take a honeymoon at some point later this summer, but they've put those plans on hold for now so Stuckey can get back in the gym, the place where he's most comfortable.
"I just want to chill for a little bit, relax, just work out, get back to the rhythm of things," he said. "This last week or so has been a little difficult with the wedding...But I think after this, (I’ll) just go home, focus, start my two-a-days, and get back after it."