Los Angeles Lakers Forward Larry Nance Jr. Suffers Fractured Left Hand, Expected to Miss Four to Six Weeks
Larry Nance Jr. worked hard to get the starting nod at power forward for the Los Angeles Lakers this season, but he will have to sit on the sidelines for an extended period of time due to a fractured left hand.
The Lakers have announced that Nance has undergone surgery to repair a fractured second metacarpal in his left hand and he's expected to miss four to six weeks of action while he recovers.
"It's tough but that's what team sports are about. Someone else has to step up and fill that role now. We'll get him healthy. He'll be back on the court when he's ready to go," Lakers head coach Luke Walton said last Thursday, according to the Los Angeles Times.
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The third-year forward injured his hand late in the third quarter of their game against the Portland Trail Blazers last Thursday after he came down hard on top of forward Caleb Swanigan and committed a foul. He immediately grabbed his left hand after the foul was called and he was taken out of the game.
Before he got hurt, Nance was posting career-high numbers across the board in eight starts this season. He is averaging 10.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting an impressive 61.4 percent from the field.
Meanwhile, rookie Kyle Kuzma has been starting at power forward in Nance's absence and he has proved to be a very efficient scorer thus far this season. The former University of Utah standout is averaging 15.7 points while shooting 56.3 percent from the field, but he has admitted that he has to do the dirty work if he wants to help the Lakers win games.
"Gotta rebound, Larry is a big piece for us. He rebounds, plays with a lot of energy, he does all the little things. As a group, we got to pick it up," Kuzma said after last Thursday night's game, via ESPN.
