Los Angeles Lakers’ Most Underrated Asset? Larry Nance Jr.
If there’s one Los Angeles Lakers player who deserves more love this season, it’s Larry Nance Jr.–the team’s most underrated asset.
Right now, there’s a lot to like about this Los Angeles Lakers team. One player who isn’t getting the credit he deserves, though, is Larry Nance Jr.
The 2014 first-round pick has quietly been a big-time playmaker for the Lake Show this season. Although he isn’t leading the team in scoring or dominating the boards on a nightly basis, Nance is giving the Lakers an outstanding presence in the paint off the bench.
What I really like about Nance is how efficient he is on both ends of the court.
The Wyoming product has been a huge reason why the Lakers’ bench unit is among the best in the NBA. On top of shooting 60.5 percent from the field, he’s pulling down 5.5 rebounds and scoring 7.4 points per game.
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He’s even notching 1.2 steals and 0.4 blocks per game despite getting only 21.8 minutes per contest.
It’s also worth mentioning all of the highlight-reel plays Nance makes. Although they don’t show up on the stat sheet, the third-year pro is a dunking machine, intimidating and demoralizing opponents with monster slams.
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Night in and night out, he displays the elite athleticism that made him such an intriguing pick in 2014.
Despite all of these aspects, Nance continues to get overlooked as a key piece of the puzzle. Honestly, that’s a bit unacceptable.
It’s time for folks around the league to realize how valuable Nance is for Los Angeles. No matter what the team needs done, he finds a way to make it happen.
Whether it’s pulling down an offensive rebound, making a big-time block or draining a mid-range jumper, Nance is capable of doing it all. I’m pretty sure they call that versatility.
Now obviously Nance still has a lot of growing to do. Luckily, the potential is there, especially if the bloodlines tell us anything.
In case you didn’t know, Nance is the son of former NBA great Larry Nance–hence the Jr. The former three-time All Star spent his playing days with the Phoenix Suns and Cleveland Cavaliers, earning praise for his high-flying dunks and consistent play.
It appears he passed both traits on to his son, who enjoys displaying them on a nightly basis.
Nance may never crack the starting lineup in Los Angeles. However, he’s already asserted himself as a key bench player, and continues to prove his worth as a model of consistency. Given more time to develop as an NBA talent, Nance could turn into one of the league’s top bench players.
More importantly, he’ll remain an integral part of the Lakers’ sudden resurgence.The Lakers have a ton of exciting young talent on the roster right now. Folks love to talk about the upside of D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram, which leads to Nance getting a bit overlooked.
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That’s why I’m telling you it’s time to take Nance more seriously. He’s the Lakers’ most underrated asset, and will likely remain so for some time.
It’s up to you and the rest of Lakers Nation to start showing this rising star some love.