Los Angeles Lakers power forward Larry Nance Jr. spoke highly of how well Kyle Kuzma has performed while replacing him in the starting lineup.
The Los Angeles Lakers have been without starting power forward Larry Nance Jr. since November 2nd. Nance Jr. broke a bone in his hand that night against the Portland Trail Blazers and has been sidelined since.
Good news for the Lakers and Nance Jr. is that he is close to returning to the court. Nance Jr. is expected to return to the court on Monday night against the rival Los Angeles Clippers.
It will be the second matchup of the season against the Clippers, albeit they will look different because of injuries. In the first matchup, Nance Jr. had a strong game with 14 points, 12 rebounds and one block.
In that game, Nance Jr. played 30 minutes as the starting power forward. There are some questions as to whether or not Nance Jr. will reclaim that starting spot because Kyle Kuzma has taken it and ran with it.
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Kuzma has been a revelation for the Lakers. He was selected with the 27th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and has become an immediate contributor. Kuzma has proved doubters wrong who was unsure he should be a first-round pick. Not only has he performed like a first-round pick, he looks like the steal of the draft for the Lakers.
Kuzma has been outstanding since being inserted into the starting lineup. In 11 games as a starter, Kuzma has averaged 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He has been efficient as well, shooting 47.1 percent from the field, 38.8 percent from 3-point land and 78 percent from the foul line.
His performance has been very good, and it has not gone unnoticed by the player that he replaced. Nance Jr.
"“Kuz has been playing awesome,” he said after practice. Nance added he’s not concerned over how head coach Luke Walton may utilize both forwards.“Like I said before, that’s Luke’s decision. Like I said before, Kuz is my guy. So whether he starts, I start, it doesn’t matter,” Nance said."
The decision on who should start will be an important one for the Luke Walton to make. The Lakers have begun to build some chemistry and cohesion since Nance Jr. was sidelined.
Whatever Walton decides will have a trickle-down effect. Will the playing time of Julius Randle, who has begun to see more minutes in recent games, get knocked back down? Who will be removed from the rotation with Nance Jr. coming back in?
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It is all things we will find out Monday against the Clippers when Nance Jr. is expected to return. Whether it be in the starting lineup or off the bench, the Lakers will be happy to have Nance Jr. back in the fold.