Los Angeles Lakers: Larry Nance Jr. emerging as leader for this season’s team

Los Angeles Lakers Larry Nance Jr. has been working hard in the off-season and while the hype over Lonzo Ball has been taking over headlines of late, he is starting to emerge as the Lakers Leader.

Let me be clear; when I say the leader of the Los Angeles Lakers, what I am talking about is the player who keeps the team’s head in the game. The player who motivates players on the court and on the bench, who makes sure the players are coping with life off the court.

The player who is the go to player for his teammates for advice, who lifts the team when down and celebrates the team when things are going well. The guy the coach can count on to be the floor general on the court, carrying out the game plan, making corrections when teammates are out of position and exploding when the team needs a spark.

I have believed for awhile that Larry Nance Jr. would emerge as the Lakers leader, and now I am not the only Lakers expert to feel that way.

This week on Access Sportsnet Lakers, the hosts made their argument as well as Nance himself. “I for one will be on the forefront of making sure things change.”

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In 2016, when the Lakers lost Kobe Bryant for good, Nance was asked by Lakers Nation about leadership on the court.

“A lot of guys are hesitant to step into that role because obviously, it’s 2-4’s role — I do think Leadership is something we lack — It’s easy to say, but at the same time nobody’s done it [Lead]. There’s a lot of guys who peak their head in and try every now and again — guys are so young, we are all the same age, it’s gotta be something by committee at first.”

Of course, we know, that in that season, a leader did not emerge. In the following season, the Lakers added Ivica Zubac and Brandon Ingram. More young players.

Most looked to D’Angelo Russell to pick up the leadership role, and I think at times he did, but as Nance alluded too, it’s not easy when you have a bunch of millennials on a team and decisions are usually made by committee.

Magic Johnson did not see a leader in Russell, at least for his Lakers, and I believe that is the main reason he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. Hopefully, for Russell, he takes the bull by the horns and steps up his leadership because we all know he can ball; like he can really ball! He does have ice in his veins and those key three’s will be missed.

Next man up!

Ingram seems to be kind of a quiet guy, low key, but he leads by his beast-mode play on the court. Maybe not a vocal leader. However, Ingram will lead by example this season. This will be a huge season for Ingram if he can stay healthy. In NBA Summer League he seemed to come out in beast mode and never cooled off.

Zubac is a sweetheart, take it from me. He is a fun young guy with a ton of upside that always wants the ball in his hands, and in a way, he can lead while on the bench.

Lonzo Ball. At first, I thought Ball didn’t talk on the court, he played and led by his play. However, I stand corrected as I witnessed during summer league, he did talk on the court. I believe he will need to do a lot more talking if he will emerge as the teams, overall leader.

Next: What Can We Expect From Larry Nance Jr. This Season?

Let’s just call it a day and give the man, Larry Nance Jr., the reigns to lead the Lakers to victory or at least to get the chemistry going and cemented on this seasons Lakers team!