Even if his team is currently struggling to find consistency and stringing a few wins together, Los Angeles Lakers forward Larry Nance Jr. remains optimistic that they have a realistic shot of making it to the playoffs. The team only has an 8-12 record to show, and have lost seven of their last 10 games. But now back to full strength, the 24-year-old Wyoming product likes their chances.

Speaking to reporters after practice, Nance shared that he continues to monitor the standings, and that he and his teammates have their eyes set on the bigger picture. He then added, that after their loss on Monday against the L.A. Clippers, it makes them refocus on the job at hand.

“Absolutely. It’s something I keep track of, for sure,” Nance said. “That’s something I’d love for this team — I think everybody here would love for this team and I think it’s very realistic, especially with how things are shaping up right now.

“After a rough last game, it’s easy to be upset about it, but the second we’re like ‘Alright, there’s a bigger plan here. We’ve got to focus on that eighth seed, we can still get it,’ it kind of brings you back down to earth, refocuses you a little bit.”

The 6-foot-9 forward missed 11 games for the Lakers due to a hand injury, but returned to action on Monday. He now sports a hand brace for extra protection, but it does not seem to affect his game as he finished the contest with nine points, on 4-of-7 shooting, to go along with eight rebounds.

If there's any good news for the Lakers at this point, they still have 62 games left on their schedule, which is more than enough for them to make up some ground in the tough Western Conference. Should they make the postseason, it will only make their young team better, and have their fans expect greater success from them in the coming years.