One thing that has become apparent to Los Angeles Lakers fans since Larry Nance Jr. was drafted with the No. 27 overall pick in 2015 is that he can jump really high.
He has had some extremely impressive dunks in his career, including what most considered the dunk of the year last season when he dunked on now-teammate Brook Lopez.
Nance is now in his third NBA season, but due to injuries in his first two, he was unable to compete in the Slam Dunk Contest. The NBA All-Star weekend is in Los Angeles this year though, so barring any injuries, Nance said in an interview with Trevor Lane on the Lakers Nation Podcast that he sees himself competing:
“It’s something that I’ve wanted to do since I got in the league but minor bumps in the road and injuries have prevented me from doing that. Obviously, this season, barring any of that, knock on wood, I see myself in it…I’m not going to guarantee it, but it would be really tough for me to say no.”
Nance has been more than just a dunker so far this season, as he is getting his first true opportunity to be a starting power forward and is making the most of it, averaging career-highs in points (11.1), rebounds (7.9), steals (1.6) and field goal percentage (60.4) through the first seven games.
His biggest impact comes on the defensive end of the floor, as he set a goal for himself of making First Team All-Defense.
With it currently being unlikely that the Lakers have an All-Star when they host the game this year, it would be nice to see Nance represent the team and put on the show in the Slam Dunk Contest, something Lakers fans have been waiting three years to see.
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