Larry Nance Jr. to Lakers: Twitter Reacts as PF Is Selected in 2015 NBA Draft
After selecting Ohio State guard D'Angelo Russell with the No. 2 overall selection in the 2015 NBA draft, the Los Angeles Lakers added Wyoming forward Larry Nance Jr. to their haul as they landed him with the 27th pick of the first round.
Nance was a somewhat unexpected first-round selection; however, he enjoyed a strong senior season at Wyoming, as he averaged 16.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
As pointed out by ESPN Stats & Info, playing in the NBA runs in the Nance family:
Nance has a great bloodline, and he is also an extremely versatile player. He is a great defender, and according to Mike Trudell of TWC SportsNet, he is supremely athletic as well:
ESPN's Chad Ford is also a fan of Nance's skill set and believes he may have impressed the Lakers during the pre-draft process:
Despite Nance's unique blend of abilities, there wasn't a great deal of hype surrounding him in terms of being a first-round selection, according to David Gardner of Sports Illustrated:
"SI's Big Board had 27/30 first-round picks. Rozier (36), Milutinov (37), Nance (not in top 60) were also first-rounders.
— David Gardner (@byDavidGardner) June 26, 2015"
Per Greg Beacham of the Associated Press, Nance's case may have been aided by Lakers owner Jerry Buss' connection to Wyoming:
Aside from adding an intriguing prospect to their roster, Dan Woike of the Orange County Register is reporting that the Lakers may have foiled the plans of one of their chief rivals:
As it turns out, Thursday didn't mark the first time Nance has been selected in a draft this week, according to Grantland's Danny Chau:
The Lakers suffered through a miserable 2014-15 campaign as they went just 21-61, but Nance will undoubtedly be thrilled to bypass the Harlem Globetrotters in favor of L.A. due to the sudden infusion of young talent the organization has brought in.
Also, Nance had to overcome some major obstacles en route to the NBA as he battled through Crohn's disease to become a first-round selection. Per Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, Nance wasn't sure if he would ever accomplish his goal.
"(Getting drafted) would be a dream come true, and at the same time it would also be, for me, a tremendous victory. There were a lot of times when I first got the disease when I was like, 'Uh oh, can I still play even? Is that possible?' There were questions and concerns there and to be able to answer those by getting drafted would be a tremendous victory for myself and the entire Crohn's community.
"
Not only has Nance been drafted, but he also has a golden opportunity to be part of something special in Los Angeles.
The combination of Russell and veteran Kobe Bryant in the backcourt is exciting, while forward Julius Randle will essentially embark upon his rookie year after missing all but one game last year due to injury.
The Lakers will also have a chance to court some big-time free agents, which means they could be back in contention quicker than most anticipated.
Nance brings a different dimension to the table, as the Lakers previously didn't possess a potential shutdown defender on the perimeter, and he could be precisely the type of supporting cast member they need to get back on track.
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