ESPN Sr. NBA writer Zach Lowe believes there's a good chance Larry Nance Jr. would overtake Julius Randle as the starting power forward for the Los Angeles Lakers, especially if he develops that outside shot.
Randle has been putting up solid numbers at the power forward spot this preseason, but Lowe thinks Nance has the upside to become a more valuable component in Luke Walton's fast-paced, small-ball offense.
"Bump Randle or Larry Nance Jr. up to center in small-ball groups, and Luke Walton's Warriors-infused motion offense will sing. That's also a nice way to sneak Luol Deng and Brandon Ingram some time at power forward. If Nance hones his jumper, he may end up a better choice than Randle to start alongside L.A.'s ball-dominant guards," Lowe noted in his latest NBA 2016-17 season preview blog.
Nance has been jacking up shots from the perimeter and even extending his range deep into the three-point territory. He's a work in progress, but analysts are optimistic about his evolution into a bonifide stretch-forward.
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-Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton really likes what he sees in Jordan Clarkson on the defensive end of the floor throughout the preseason. Walton believes Clarkson has been the most consistent perimeter defender the past six games.
"We watch tape at our coach's retreat and they gave us the analytics on him defensively, and he was not good last year at defense. He was not good," Walton told Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. "He's been maybe our most consistent perimeter defender since the start of camp." A big part of defense. if you're going to play it on every possession, is enjoying the idea of trying to get stops and trying to make it hard on your guy."
While he didn't specify if Clarkson is going to start or come off the bench, he nevertheless envisions the guard to be a two-way player for the Lakers.