Los Angeles Lakers: Is Larry Nance Jr. A Core Player?
Los Angeles Lakers rookie Larry Nance Jr. passes the eye test as a talented young player, but is he good enough to be a leader for the team in the future?
Make no mistake — despite being on pace to have yet another losing season, the Los Angeles Lakers have built a talented young core in the past two drafts.
Fans and members of the organization have pinned their hopes for the future on the trio of rookie D’Angelo Russell and second-year players Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson. Despite a rocky start to their time together, the trio is finally starting to figure it out and show signs of leadership.
While the aforementioned trio has a lot of promise, one talented young Laker is consistently left out of the discussion when it comes to the blueprint for the team’s future. That player is rookie forward Larry Nance Jr.
Nance is one of those rare players with the versatility to be just about anything he wants to be on the basketball court.
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The most attractive trait about his game is, of course, his eye-popping athleticism. Junior definitely inherited his dad’s bounce and ability to finish with authority, both of which make him prime to produce a SportsCenter Top 10 highlight at any given moment.
Exhibit A:
And Exhibit B.
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But is that all he’s good for? The stats would say no.
Nance is averaging 13.7 points, 12.3 rebounds and 1.9 steals per 48 minutes. While that might break down to only 5.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 0.8 steals in the 17 minutes he averages a night, it shows a player who is actively involved in the measly amount of time he does get on the court.
What’s even more impressive is that his active play is efficient — he currently holds the 12th-highest player efficiency rating among rookies at 13.72 and the third-highest field goal percentage at 53.9.
Add in a decent shooting stroke and ability to put the ball on the floor and you have the makings of a fairly effective glue guy on a good team.
So why doesn’t Nance receive more credit as an essential cog for the team’s future?
A major reason is the small sample size. Fans and critics can’t judge Nance either way because they haven’t seen enough of the dynamic forward outside of the poster dunk Vines like the ones in this post. He’s gone from being an under-the-radar star at Wyoming to an under-the-radar reserve in L.A.
Even as a starter, Nance’s minutes were few, averaging only 23.1 a game while the guy he replaced in the lineup played 24.5. Granted, Randle is a better player, but Nance was playing well enough to earn more time (7.3 points per game and six boards per game as a starter).
Here’s the bottom line: Nance is probably not going to be a star for the Lakers. Randle, Russell and Clarkson are all supremely talented young players who will carry the day for the Lakers going forward.
But Nance is also important.
At the root of every great team is a guy whose hustle and versatility make him the soul and glue of the roster. From Dennis Rodman to Lamar Odom to Draymond Green, history favors teams who have those kind of guys.
This is not to say that Nance will be as good as any of them, but he has the potential and qualities to fill a similar role for this young Lakers squad and do so well.
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If the Lakers want this young group to lead them back to championship caliber again, they’re going to need stars — but they’ll need glue guys like Nance as well.