Moving Forward at Power Forward
It was reported earlier today that the Lakers’ starting power forward – Larry Nance Jr. – would miss four to six weeks due to a hand injury. This news was a huge hit for the Lakers as Nance was on pace for his best season yet. He was averaging 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 61.4 percent shooting while only playing 23.1 minutes per game.
Initially, the injury seemed to be a setback, but after the win against the Nets that is clearly not the case. Kyle Kuzma started in place of Nance and boy did he make his mark. The rookie had another historic night as he scored 21 points on 72.7 percent shooting, and corralled in a career-high 13 rebounds. Kuzma also seemed to be the answer to the Lakers’ early struggles as he scored 18 points on a staggering 7/8 shooting in the first half.
While Kuzma took care of starting duties, Julius Randle did solid work off of the bench. In 16 minutes, Randle scored 10 points on 55.5 percent shooting, grabbed six rebounds, and served up one block. Randle’s size and experience also worked to the bench’s advantage as there was a continuous sense of hustle and a constant presence in the paint.
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As the Nance looks to be out for the next month at least, let us see if Kuzma and Randle can handle the big man duties going forward.