Los Angeles Lakers: Larry Nance Jr. Could Be A Solid Player Under Walton

With the arrival of Luke Walton to coach the Los Angeles Lakers, everyone expects the young stars to take a step forward. What about Larry Nance Jr.?

There’s a fair level of optimism with the arrival of Luke Walton to man the head coaching position of the Los Angeles Lakers. Walton, for the past two seasons, has been under the tutelage of Steve Kerr, Ron Adams and Alvin Gentry in Golden State. Now, Walton gets to run his own show after a small trial to open the 2015-16 season, resulting in a 39-4 start for the Warriors.

The hope is that Walton, by pure osmosis, could soak in some of the magic and bring it to Los Angeles with him. Some of the concepts are simple, like shooting more threes and pushing the pace, but some are going to take some work in fixing the roster.

Already, we’ve seen talk about players like Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell ready to assume new roles in an offense the Warriors thrived in over the last two years.

More from Los Angeles Lakers

• NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
• A surprise LeBron ranking should raise alarm bells for the Lakers
• Surprising Austin Reaves contract detail confirms Lakers got him for a steal
• Instant Grades for the Lakers’ unprecedented Anthony Davis extension
• Report: Lakers have big plans for recent top-10 pick amid roster shakeup

But what about Larry Nance Jr.?

Last season, Nance was drafted 27th overall out of Wyoming in a bit of surprise. He finished his college career averaging 16.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game with a 58.1 True Shooting Percentage.

At 6-foot-8 with a wingspan of 7-foot-1 and solid athleticism, Nance seemed like someone who could develop into a nice energy guy and perhaps bring some defense off the bench. Still, there were some that felt like that pick was a reach, especially with R.J. Hunter Jr. on the draft board.

Six months and 82 games later, Nance completed a fine rookie season. Nance averaged 5.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.9 rebounds and 0.4 blocks in 20.1 minutes per game. He didn’t exactly shoot the three, but finished with a 13.4 PER and a TS% of 54.4. You saw some of his highlights – good dunks, great athleticism and active on the defensive end, which makes me wonder what his potential role could be on the Lakers next season.

For starters, he was a bit of a gem in the midst of a poor Lakers season. Per NBA.com, the Lakers were three points better on offense and five points better on defense with Nance on the floor.

His most valuable trait in his game right now is that he could play multiple positions. Nance played 61 percent of his minutes last season at power forward, but also dabbled at center, playing 31 percent of his minutes at the center position.

Live Feed

Blue Man Hoop

He’s also good at finishing at the rim, knocking down 65 percent of his shots at the rim, via NBA.com’s stats. Breaking down some of the numbers, you see that Nance was a monster in transition as a rookie, finishing with 79 percent shooting and a PPP of 1.54 in his 41 possessions, a small sample, but a potential asset for a team that looks to pick up the pace under Walton.

But while Nance has his own list of positives, there were some setbacks for the rookie.

The first was that his versatility didn’t exactly shine through. He played a ton of minutes at center this past season but wasn’t great at defending the rim. Nance finished with 56 percent field goal percentage allowed at the rim last season and finished last in points saved per 36 at -1.74, via Nylon Calculus.

That’s one of the areas where Nance could take a huge step in. If he could come in and improve at the rim, that would be a valuable asset for a Lakers team that needs to improve at contesting shots at the rim.

More from Hoops Habit

• The 5 most dominant NBA players who never won a championship
• 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
• Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
• Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
• Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout

The other area is extending his range. Nance was never a great midrange shooter in college and it translated over to his NBA career. The best move for Nance will be to extend his range, becoming a better shooter from the midrange, before attempting to extend his game to three, most likely in the corners.

Last season, Nance shot 38 percent from the midrange last season, with some success from the left side. The issue is just five corner threes. If Nance wants to improve his game and get more minutes next season, extending his range would be a good move for his career.

The excitement of Luke Walton joining the Lakers and bringing the Golden State system is sound. The Lakers have close to $60 million in cap space, the No. 2 overall pick and several young players already on the roster.

More hoops habit: Golden State Warriors: 5 Keys To Beating The Thunder

While everyone was excited with Russell, Randle and Jordan Clarkson’s potential fit in the system, Larry Nance Jr., who has nice present skills, could be another nice rotation player if he can make some minor adjustments.