Former Penn State men’s basketball star Lamar Stevens is already making a name for himself early on in his NBA career.

After going undrafted in the 2020 NBA Draft, Stevens signed a two-way contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Often times, signing a two-way deal means you need to fight your way onto the main roster and claw your way toward playing time.

Stevens, however, is playing meaningful minutes for a Cavs team that is currently in the playoff picture, albeit very early in the season. The Philadelphia native is averaging 14.2 minutes, 4.3 points, and 2.2 rebounds per game in nine games played.

Since the start of January, Stevens has seen his minutes increase, eclipsing the 20-minute mark four times and averaging a significant 17.3 minutes per game in seven contests. With some players out due to injury, Stevens has stepped up and given the Cavs some valuable minutes.

His season-high in scoring came on January 6 when he scored 10 points, brought in six rebounds, and played 21 minutes in a loss to the Orlando Magic. Just under a week later, Stevens played a season-high 23 minutes and scored nine points while shooting an efficient 50% from the field. We saw a familiar sight in that game when Stevens slammed home a highlight-reel alley-oop dunk.

Three days later, Stevens gave an all-round effort to help propel the Cavs to a 106-103 victory over the New York Knicks. He played 21 minutes and posted six points, five rebounds, and four assists in the win.

Surprised by his quick emergence? Don’t be. Stevens has a knack for making an impact early in his tenure.

As a true freshman for the Nittany Lions back in the 2016-17 season, he averaged 12.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while starting all 33 games.

Of course, from there, Stevens went on to become one of the best players in program history. He climbed all the way up to No. 2 on Penn State’s all-time scoring list with 2,207 points, just six behind Talor Battle’s 2,213. Additionally, he ranks No. 4 on the all-time rebounding list with 875.

Stevens and the Cavs are back in action at 7 p.m. on Wednesday with a tough matchup against Kevin Durant, James Harden, and the Brooklyn Nets.