TMZ Sports recently caught up with Los Angeles Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr., and while he did not say much as he looked to be in a rush, he did have a chance to comment on the Lakers latest draft pick, Lonzo Ball.
Nance spoke very highly of his new point guard, saying that he believes Ball will make all of his teammates better, and he hopes they will be able to recreate the “Showtime” days, when Magic Johnson got the Lakers out in transition and found his teammates for easy layups and dunks consistently.
The Lakers took Ball with the second overall pick in the recent draft, and he immediately showed what he was capable of, averaging 16.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 9.3 assists in the Las Vegas Summer League, earning MVP honors. Additionally, those stats turned into wins as he led the Lakers to their first ever Summer League championship, although he missed the championship game with a calf injury.
He didn’t play in the Summer League, but Nance seems to be a perfect fit with Ball as he has a high basketball IQ, can run the floor and loves to finish above the rim.
Nance is coming off his best season, averaging 7.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 63 games, which were all career-highs. With Ball at point guard, those numbers are expected to go up even more.
So far Ball’s teammates have only had positive things to say about the 19-year-old, so the Lakers really could have something special on their hands.