The Los Angeles Lakers are finally resigned to playing their young players a lot more as they focus more on development for the rest of the season. Julius Randle and D'Angelo Russell have been moved into the starting lineup full-time, and now it's all about the future. While Randle and Russell are the two main young guys the Lakers want to focus on, Larry Nance Jr. is another player they believe has a bright future. But instead of giving him more minutes the Lakers are considering shutting Nance down for the rest of the season, according to Baxter Holmes of ESPN Los Angeles.
Nance has been dealing with a lingering knee injury for quite some time this season. Before the All-Star break Nance missed six consecutive games with knee soreness before returning for the first game back against the Spurs. Nance has played in each of the Lakers' last three games, but on Monday night he was pulled out of the game after just 10 minutes of action because his knee flared up again, according to Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
Head coach Byron Scott called taking Nance out just "precautionary," but it is obviously a serious concern for the Lakers. The current plan is for Nance to receive treatment on the knee and prepare him to try and play in their next game on Wednesday. That said, Scott and Lakers' long-time trainer Gary Vitti have had talks about potentially shutting him down.
Despite the thought process of possibly being shut down, Nance is confident that he will not need any type of surgery this offseason. Nance's current discomfort is in his right knee, which is the same knee in which he tore his ACL in his junior season at the University of Wyoming. Because of the history of problems with that knee the Lakers are being wise to take precaution with Nance, especially when you consider they have nothing to play for.
Nance was selected by the Lakers with the 27th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, and he has been a pleasant surprise for them this season. Nance came in with very little fanfare and not much expectations, but he has averaged 5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds in 19.8 minutes per game as a rookie. Nance has made a name for himself with his crazy athleticism on dunks like this, but his all-around play has been impressive, and he looks like he could be a big part of the Lakers' future.
