Lakers News Feed: Kyle Kuzma Likely Headed To Bench As Larry Nance Jr. Returns From Hand Injury

Trevor Lane
3 Min Read
Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers have utilized a number of different rotations this season, but it appears that they are about to revert to the one that they started the year with now that Larry Nance Jr. is poised to return from injury.

Nance broke his hand back at the beginning of November, which called for at least a one-month recovery and up to six weeks. But, he healed quickly and is seemingly set to start Monday night against the Clippers. In turn, it looks like it will cost Kyle Kuzma his starting job.

Harrison Faigen was at Lakers practice on Saturday when head coach Luke Walton revealed the news, and Faigen joined LN News Feed host Trevor Lane to provide an in-depth breakdown of what the domino effect will be from this shift.

While Nance certainly played well in his time as a starter and brings serious defensive chops to the team, Kuzma has become the Lakers’ leading scorer and done an admirable job fitting in with the starting five.

Furthermore, Kuzma is considered to be the player with more upside and given his chemistry with rookie point guard Lonzo Ball, some are questioning Walton’s hinting that Nance would immediately be placed back in the starting lineup.

However, as Faigen and Lane explain, the Lakers could see an across-the-board benefit by allowing Nance to help shore up the starting five’s rebounding and defense while allowing Kuzma to join Randle off the bench, giving the second unit the scoring punch that they need.

Additionally, Randle and Nance have not always meshed well, which provides for a little extra incentive to keep them separated. Meanwhile, in theory, Nance and Lopez and Kuzma and Randle make potent pairings.

Still, the decision to slide Kuzma, who has been an absolute revelation this season, to the bench is going to be a controversial one. Simply click the player above to listen to our full break down of the move.

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Trevor Lane is a longtime NBA and Los Angeles Lakers fan who had the good fortune to grow up during the glory days of the Showtime Lakers, when Magic Johnson, Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and the rest ruled the Great Western Forum. He has written about basketball, soccer, fantasy sports, MMA, and even pro wrestling over the course of his career, but the spectacle that is the Lakers is his true passion. He made the leap into podcasting for Lakers Nation and provides voice-over analysis for our YouTube channel. With a who's who of stars gracing the Lakers lineup over the years, including Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, and many others, the Lakers always provide plenty to talk about. When he isn't writing or recording, Trevor can be found spending time with his wife and daughter or on the sidelines for one of the youth teams he coaches. Outside of the Lakers, Trevor is a supporter of the LA Galaxy, US Soccer, Dallas Cowboys, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Contact: trevor@mediumlargela.com
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