Lakers coach Byron Scott has considered starting Larry Nance Jr. at times at the small forward position (Photo by Stephen Carr / Daily Breeze)
His first NBA season has taken Larry Nance Jr. seemingly everywhere.
He has defied gravity with jaw-dropping dunks. He has shed his reputation as an energy player into a versatile one. He has played seamlessly in any role asked of him as a starter and reserve.
But Nance will experience something that will soon test the bandwidth on how much and how fast he can grow. Lakers coach Byron Scott has considered starting Nance at the small forward position despite his inexperience both at the spot and in taking 3-pointers.
“I expect him to struggle with it,” Scott said.
And yet Scott could make that lineup change whenever Kobe Bryant sits out with shoulder issues for a few simple reasons.
The Lakers do not expect rookie forward Anthony Brown to return this season despite receiving clearance to have his boot removed from his injured right foot. Lakers forward Nick Young has received healthy scratches for four consecutive games after averaging 7.3 points on 33.9 percent shooting. Lakers forward Metta World Peace appeared limited in his last two starts, posting a combined eight points on 3-of-12 shooting. And Scott believes Nance’s presence at the small forward spot could complement Julius Randle at the power forward position.
“This is a new position he’s learning, but the one thing with Larry is when you put him in that position, he’ll think a lot right now,” Scott said. “In his normal position, he just plays. The thing I expect for him is to learn the position as much as possible. But I still expect the energy.”
How often this happens appears unclear.
Scott expressed optimism Bryant could play both when the Lakers (14-55) host the Memphis Grizzlies (40-30) on Tuesday at Staples Center and on Wednesday in Phoenix. But the Lakers have still listed Bryant as questionable after he missed six of the past 10 games because of his right shoulder injury. The Lakers also have started sitting Nance in one of the back-to-back slates, and Scott said he has not determined yet which game Nance will miss.
Even if Nance has shot 1-of-7 from 3-point range all season, Scott has become intrigued enough with his defensive potential that he paired him on New York’s Carmelo Anthony last week.
“He’s such an athletic player that he can guard 3’s,” Scott said. “I wanted to give it a try.”
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