There have been times this season where the Los Angeles Lakers have seemingly lacked energy. That is something that has never been a problem for reserve forward Larry Nance Jr. who always brings nonstop energy.
Unfortunately thanks to a bone bruise in his knee, Nance has been out for the last three weeks. But there’s good news on the horizon as Tania Ganguli of the LA Times reports that Nance will likely return to practice in the next couple of days:
Walton thinks Larry Nance Jr. will be back to practice the next couple days, but says a return this week is unlikely.
— Tania Ganguli (@taniaganguli) January 17, 2017
This is great news for the Lakers as Nance is a major part of the Lakers’ vaunted bench unit and his versatility is huge for the team. His energy is contagious to the rest of the team, and he is also one of the best defenders on the Lakers both individually and as a help defender.
With things going south for the Lakers over the last couple months, the young core will likely start getting even more minutes in hopes of speeding up their development. Nance is a major part of that and always makes a difference anytime he is on the floor.
The Lakers will surely be better once he returns to the floor as even though his numbers don’t stand out, he is one of the most important players on the team. Nance averages seven points and 5.5 rebounds on 58.4 percent shooting this season.