Just when things were actually going their way, the Los Angeles Lakers received a crushing blow at the end of their 2016 Summer League mini-season.
Larry Nance Jr., the high-flying second year forward from the University of Wyoming, had been one of the better players at the summer games in Las Vegas. He filled up various columns on the scoresheet, and his inspired play led to the Lakers faithful shouting out a few “M-V-P” chants earlier in the week.
Then, in the closing moments of last night's Summer League-ending loss for L.A., this happened:
It was evident that something was seriously wrong immediately. Nance stayed down in obvious discomfort before being moved to the locker room, clutching his right hand the entire time.
Shortly after, Mark Medina of the LA Daily News reported that Nance had fractured a part of his hand. More specifically, Lakers beat reporter Mike Trudell stated that x-rays found the fracture to be in the base of his 3rd metacarpal on his right hand.
He'll be re-evaluated by a hand specialist in Los Angeles on Friday. At that point, a timeline for his comeback will likely be determined.
Nance received 20.1 minutes per game last season, averaging 5.5 points while shooting 53 percent from the floor. He was primarily known by fans outside of Los Angeles for his highlight reel dunks and blocks.
Earlier this week, D'Angelo Russell spoke on Nance's importance to the Purple & Gold:
“He's a winning piece on a winning team,” the point guard said. “Every team needs a guy like Larry. He's always positive. He's one of the most positive guys I know. He's always positive. I don't know. He's just a great guy off the court and then on the court, he's a dog. So it leads up to him just playing hard. All his plays are like motor plays and just getting everybody going, setting great screens for the point guards or the guards coming off screens. He just knows how to play.”
[button width=”full” button size=”bigger” color=”custom” align=”center” textcolor=”#ffffff” texthcolor=”#ffffff” bgcolor=”#8b0000″ link=”https://clutchpoints.com/larry-nance-jr-receives-m-v-p-chants-summer-league-game/”]NEXT: Larry Nance Jr. receives ‘M-V-P’ chants during Summer League game[/button]
Follow Us
Subscribe