Larry Nance Jr. was in the midst of a stellar stretch of play at the Las Vegas Summer League when disaster struck. The springy power forward was attempting to help the Los Angeles Lakers mount a comeback against the Cleveland Cavaliers in his fourth game of the tournament.
As he had done so many times before, Nance soared through the air to attack the basket but this time was undercut by a Cavs player attempting to take a charge. Nance crashed to the court, landing awkwardly on his wrist. The play didn’t look good and after the game rumors quickly spread that Nance had broken a bone.
Fortunately, that report turned out to be false. Nance’s wrist was badly sprained, which is no picnic, but typically heals faster than a broken bone would. Now, Lakers reporter Mike Trudell has revealed that Nance is just two weeks away from being fully recovered:
The Lakers say Larry Nance, Jr. is doing well after completing 2 weeks of therapy, and is expected to be fully recovered in about two weeks.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) August 4, 2016
LNJ is currently in Cleveland continuing his therapy, but is expected to return to L.A. in about two weeks. Expected to be good to go.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) August 4, 2016
With training camp starting up near the end of September, Nance’s ability to get back to work sooner rather than later is certainly welcome news. Nance’s performance at Summer League created a lot of optimism about his fit in new coach Luke Walton’s offense.
Nance had already won the support of Lakers fans with his thunderous dunks and tenacious defense last season, but he displayed some impressive new tricks in Las Vegas. He looked comfortable stretching his range all the way out to the three-point line, and also showed a surprising ability to ignite a one-man fast break by pushing the ball up the court on the dribble after grabbing a defensive rebound.
Nance’s performance was so intriguing that it led to speculation that he could replace Julius Randle in the starting lineup next season. While that is far from a certainty, the battle between the Lakers two young power forwards should be fun to watch all season, and Nance’s return from injury should give him the opportunity to really challenge Randle in training camp.
Regardless of who starts, the bottom line is that Nance’s expanding skill set gives Walton more options on the court, and that’s a good thing for the rebuilding Lakers.