The offseason is upon us and the Los Angeles Lakers are making plans for how they will spend their down time. It was a long, difficult season for Los Angeles that saw the team finish with 26 wins and 56 losses, which resulted in the third-worst record in the league. Not surprisingly, the Lakers are planning to get a little rest and relaxation in.
Forward Larry Nance Jr., who is developing a reputation as quite a character, is making plans to spend some time with rookie Ivica Zubac, who he facetiously calls his “son”. Nance detailed the activities he wants to do with Zubac in an interview with Spectrum Sports Net:
“I’m letting him (Zubac) go visit who he claims to be his other parents in Croatia for a little bit, but there’s a Mexico vs Croatia soccer match out here, and I think I’ll take my son to the soccer game, so that’ll be fun. Father-son bonding.”
Of course, while Nance is partially making a joke, it’s still good to hear that the young Lakers plan on spending time together during the summer. Chemistry is extremely important when it comes to building a basketball team and it’s usually apparent on the floor when players enjoy being with their teammates. Nance and Zubac, in particular, proved to connect well when they shared the floor this past season.
This is something that head coach Luke Walton has strived for, as he has attempted to create a team environment that turns individuals into a cohesive unit. The Lakers still have a long way to go to get back to the level of success that they are used to, but they do have some talented young players on the roster to build around. It’s going to be a long offseason, but hopefully we will see a better Lakers team when October rolls around.