Grading Lakers rookie Larry Nance Jr.’s 2015-16 season.
In many ways, Los Angeles Lakers rookie forward Larry Nance Jr. was a revelation. When he was initially drafted in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft, most Lakers fans were surprised and also slightly disappointed. With notables name like R.J. Hunter, Montrezl Harrell, and Kevon Looney still available, the Lakers made a surprising decision to draft the widely unheard of senior from Wyoming.
Now, almost a year removed from the date of his selection, it’s fair to say that the Lakers knew who they were getting.
Nance, a rookie who spent all four years of college at the University of Wyoming, proved to be a surprisingly versatile player whom the team could always count on for hustle plays and thunderous dunks.
Yet, Nance’s game wasn’t just limited to his uber athletic dunking ability. He became more and more dangerous as an offensive threat as the season progressed, showing potential as a solid mid-range shooter.
As is the case with everything, the key to Nance’s smooth jumper is confidence. When he shot the ball with confidence and no hesitation, good things tended to happen. In fact, Larry even acknowledged on multiple occasions that the key to the evolution of his offensive arsenal hinges on his confidence. While he should certainly be commended for only taking what the defense gives him, however, there were times throughout the year when he should have been more aggressive shooting the ball.
As general manager Mitch Kupchak remarked, “Everybody loves Larry. Everybody does. His physical ability is off the charts. When I have the exit meeting I talk to players and we end up talking about pluses and minuses. The only minus that anybody said about Larry was he’s too unselfish.”
In addition to flashing a relatively refined jumper, Nance appeared to be adept at rolling hard to the basket, which is something that the Lakers’ big men as whole struggled to do.
Considering that his teammate, rookie passing extraordinaire D’Angelo Russell, thrives when bigs roll to the basket, the Nance-Russell connection could be a staple of the Lakers’ offense for years to come.
Now, on to the grade.
Next: The Grade