The Los Angeles Lakers drafted a pass-first point guard with the potential to be the next great player for the storied franchise earlier this week. Along with bringing on a possible star in the making, the Lakers brass has added a floor general that current players on the team are excited to play with next season.
Forward Larry Nance Jr. recently made an appearance on The HoopsHype Podcast with Alex Kennedy and shared his thoughts on getting to play alongside Ball next season:
“I’m excited for it,” Nance said. “Obviously like you said, he’s a pass-first guy, he’s got great court vision, and he’s a facilitator so obviously, that benefits the guys that are on the court with him.
“And my job specifically: run the court, be athletic, just do all the little things, that’s great for me because on my backdoor slips he’s gonna have the ball in the air for me. If he was throwing lobs to TJ Leaf last year, and I think they averaged one or two a game, I can’t wait to see what he does for me.”
With Nance having already been on the receiving end of many lobs passes from teammates over the last two years, the 24-year-old forward will likely see his numbers skyrocket with a point guard like Ball in the backcourt for Los Angeles.
As Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka said after drafting Ball, the UCLA product is a transcendent talent and makes everyone around him better. Nance will be one of many players on the current Lakers roster that will benefit from playing with such a playmaker with many more highlight dunks to come.
Lakers fans will get their first look at Ball in running the point guard position for Los Angeles in July during the NBA Summer League. Nance, unfortunately, will not be playing this year after playing the two previous years in Las Vegas.