Anthony Brown with D'Angelo Russell and Larry Nance Jr. (Photo : Photo: Twitter)
The LA Lakers got lucky in the 2014 NBA Draft when Jordan Clarkson emerged as a starter from the second round.
Is it possible that the Lakers also struck gold in the 2015 NBA Draft?
Larry Nance, Jr, who is called a "legacy" rookie because his father was an NBA star who won the first ever slam dunk contest, was even a surprise pick at 27th overall, breaking into the first round when he was predicted to be a an early second rounder.
Now, even his coach, Byron Scott has heaped praise on him and even declaring him a lottery talent (h/t Serena Winter Twitter).
"Byron Scott on Larry Nance, Jr: 'I think if we were to redo the draft, he'd be a lottery pick.'"
Right now, the Lakers need to make decisions on their roster. As Lakers Nation recounts, "the clock is ticking" on team co-owner Jim Buss' bold promise to make the Lakers a contender in the next three to four years. That was in April 2014 and Jim vowed to step down from running the team if he would not achieve that.
In an interview with Eric Pincus of the LA Times, Buss mentioned that the key to this goal is keeping eight core players who will be signed long-term with the team.
"I don't mind that I said that, and I live by it," Buss said. "If we're not back contending in two years from now, then really I haven't done a good job. To me, the barometer of success at the end of next year ... is if we have eight core players that are going to be Lakers for the next five years."
Larry Nance is now listed as a possible member of that core. Byron Scott has experimented playing him alongside Julius Randle in a "small ball" set up and Nance has been up to the task.
Lakers Nation believed that Nance should be part of the "long-term Lakers." Like Clarkson, it their draft status is beside the point as they said Nance's play "warrants his inclusion."
