In Sunday night’s game against the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers power forward Larry Nance Jr. suffered a scary fall when chasing after a loose ball.
Suns forward P.J. Tucker dove on the floor and inadvertently cut Nance’s legs from under him, sending Nance to the floor with the back of his head hitting the court. Though he would stay in the game to shoot his free throws, Nance would immediately leave and not return due to a concussion.
Due to the NBA’s concussion protocol Nance would miss the Lakers’ loss Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks. Now ahead of Thursday night’s showdown against the Sacramento Kings, Nance has been listed as questionable according to Mark Medina of the LA Daily News:
Lakers are listing Larry Nance Jr as questionable for tomorrow's game in Sacramento
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) November 9, 2016
Nance’s numbers may not stand out too much, but he has an impact on the court that far exceeds whatever the statistics show. He is one of the team’s best defensive players, especially when it comes to helping defenders off the ball.
He has also improved his jump shot which allows for more space on the offensive end, and he is capable of grabbing a rebound and pushing the ball up the court himself.
The Lakers struggled to replace Nance in the lineup on Tuesday night as Luol Deng, Brandon Ingram, and Thomas Robinson combined to take the minutes normally allocated. However, Nance’s combination of athleticism, length, and basketball IQ is difficult to replicate, and the bench sorely missed it.
Hopefully, Nance will be fully recovered in time for Thursday night’s game against the Kings as Sacramento has a plethora of big men and the Lakers will need everyone on deck to avoid getting a second straight loss.
