The Los Angeles Lakers made quite the splash last summer, when they signed LeBron James to a four-year, $153.3 million deal, but there were a few casualties in their pursuit of a max contract slot, the most notable being Larry Nance Jr.
At the NBA trade deadline in 2018, Nance was sent to the Cleveland Cavaliers along with Jordan Clarkson in exchange for the expiring contracts of Isaiah Thomas and Channing Frye, and a first-round pick (later used to draft Moritz Wagner). Nance was a fan favorite in Los Angeles because of his hustle on the floor and his emphatic poster dunks.
The 26-year-old forward held a Q&A on Twitter earlier this month, where he answered several questions about life in the NBA, including a few about his time with the Lakers. One user asked Nance if he thought his former Lakers teammate Lonzo Ball would be an All-Star one day and his answer was surprising:
If Ball can stay healthy and become a respectable threat from behind the 3-point line, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him blossom into a top-tier point guard, but could he really be an All-Star one day? That’s harder to make a case for.
For at least the next four years, Ball will have to battle for a spot on the All-Star team with some of the best guards in the Western Conference, including Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, James Harden, Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, who still hasn’t made an All-Star appearance. He will also have to go against the rising stars in the West like De’Aaron Fox, Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray.
Suffice to say, it won’t be easy, but Ball has the work ethic and skill to at least be in the conversation a few years from now. For the Lakers’ sake, let’s hope Nance is right.
