Larry Nance Jr. Discussion: Don't Fake The Funk On A Nance Dunk

He really needs to work on his shot, defenders can literally leave him wide open and he'll brick it most of the time.

 

Read my mind. I was just about to post that.

 

Yeah, I could see him thrown out there in favor of Young to really frustrate guys at SF. Move Kobe back down to SG and run Nance at some guys and play physical with them.

 

I like what I've seen from Nance. He has a lot of holes but my expectations for him were very low. I'll take his defensive intensity and effort on the boards happily for now. If he wants to work on expanding his game then he'll earn a spot in the rotation. Nice little talent to stash for a couple of years that could end up being a rotation player.

 

The J is so bad, you can tell it's a miss as soon as it leaves his hands. Maybe tinkering with his form would help.

 

If by "tinkering" you mean completely reconstruct then I agree.

While I love the hustle etc. that he gives this pick still puzzles me. If this were 2008 I see picking a single purpose guy like him but with a complete rebuild in front of us and a new PG that needs spot up shooters to be the best utilized we pick a guy who can't shoot.

Finding a defensive/hustle guy of his caliber is pretty easy at the Vet Min typically. I still don't get it.

 

I'm with you @bonk. Unless he consistently knock down a mid-range J (Which he looks like he is nowhere close to doing), he's better off not crossing half-court on offense.

I wouldn't give him any minutes currently and he might be in the D-League most of his contract working on his shot. If he isn't taking 1000 jumpers a day and perfecting his form until training camp, he's doing himself an injustice.

 

I think the difference is he is coming into the league saying all I want to do is defend, rebound, block shots, and knock down open j's. He has basically dedicated himself to that, and while its not showing yet, reports are that he has really been working on that j. And the reality of that is when you rebuild a shot at times your shot gets worse before it gets better. Lots of folks tend to over think and mess it up at first.

 

ALL he wants to do? 1/3 of the players in the NBA can't do ALL of that well. He's a physically talented guy but so was Shannon Brown. He will find a niche in the league most likely with his hustle and ability and desire to play defense I'm still lost as to why we pick a "finishing piece" to a team in year 2 of a 99% rebuild.

 

The reality is the vast majority of ball players want to score via penetration or chucking. A few players transition to that role once the fail at being "the" guy. It's rare to find a player that embraces that role out the gate.

 

Left hand's still looking like a chicken wing. Doesn't look like he's trying to modify it yet. Hopefully soon and then the 1,000 shots a day.

 

I think his jumper is fine. It might not look pretty, but he's getting quality looks and things in the offense are just a little awry.

But that will be his shot though. I can see him floating around the offense for boards or someone leaving him often.

 

I think he's getting quality looks because of his jumper.

Let's not forget he played in a very weak conference and still shot poorly by college standards. The NBA typically takes a few % points off a shooting percentage to start with. Assuming that a much higher % of his made shots in college were at the rim I think this is what he is at this point from a jumpshooting standpoint.

I can speak as someone who saw his father play live.... The jump shot doesn't fall far from the tree. Poppa Nance didn't develop a reliable (and even then not great) jumper until after the knee injuries.

 

That is a great interview. Thanks for posting, JSM.