The play of rookie Larry Nance Jr. has been one of the more unexpected surprises this season for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Not much was known about Nance when he was drafted, but he has performed well when inserted in the rotation. Unfortunately for Nance, Atlanta Hawks forward Paul Millsap fell into his right knee in Friday’s loss to the Hawks.
Nance had an MRI on his knee, and thankfully it came back negative according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:
MRI confirms no cartilage or ligament tear in Larry Nance Jr's right knee. Lakers list him as questionable for Sunday's game in Detroit
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) December 5, 2015
Nance had another good showing for the Lakers last night against the Hawks with six points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes of action. He has provided a boost of energy for the team and has been excellent on defense.
The news of his MRI coming back negative is great for both the team and Nance. The Lakers have had good injury luck this season and losing a rookie playing as well as Nance would be a tough loss. Luckily, that isn’t the case as Nance looks like he will be day-to-day due to this.
If Nance isn’t able to go, head coach Byron Scott could insert Nick Young back in the rotation. Young hasn’t played for the last two games, though Scott informed to media to ‘relax’ when asked about the sixth man’s situation.