NBA AM: Larry Nance Jr. Living His Dream

Basketball Insiders’ Jessica Camerato and CineSport’s Brian Clark discuss several NBA players who are feeling the pressure to deliver a strong 2015-16 season.

Larry Nance Jr. Living His Dream

When NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that the Los Angeles Lakers had selected Larry Nance Jr. with the 27th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the 22-year-old forward was stunned.

“I was just hoping to hear my name called at all,” Nance told Basketball Insiders. “So to hear it called 27th overall by the Lakers, I was like, ‘Really? Really?!’ I had a sense of disbelief because it was just so crazy. I mean, I was just fighting to hear my name called at all and now I’m picked in the first round by the best franchise in history? I couldn’t have dreamt up a better scenario.”

To be clear, Nance absolutely believes the Lakers made the right choice and he’s determined to prove he was worthy of that first-round selection. But in that moment, he was pleasantly surprised and honored. Growing up as a huge NBA fan, he knows all about the Lakers’ rich history and what it means to don that purple and gold jersey. And now, suddenly, he was part of that exclusive fraternity.

“My first impression was, ‘This is the Lakers. The Lakers! THE. LAKERS.’ I couldn’t get that out of my head,” Nance said with a laugh. “I mean, it was just really cool. These guys are a part of my family now! I’m a part of their family! I’m a Laker! It was very surreal.”

Once the shock wore off, Nance knew that his life had changed. He was introduced to Lakers Nation, and bombarded with followers, likes, messages and friend requests across his social media accounts.

“It’s really cool; Lakers fans are everywhere,” Nance said. “They are very outspoken about being Lakers fans. I mean, my comments have spiked, my followers have spiked. They love their Lakers and I’m one of them now.”

Overnight, he went from being recognized only in Wyoming (where he played his college ball) to being stopped for pictures and autographs all across the country. That’s certainly an adjustment for a 22-year-old who hasn’t dealt with large-scale fame before. In the weeks that followed the draft, going out became difficult because he was constantly being stopped by fans – no matter what state he was in.

“It’s different,” Nance said. “When I was in Wyoming, I would get recognized everywhere because it’s a small state. I mean, it’s Wyoming. But now that I’m with the Lakers, I go to Chicago and I’m recognized. I go to Las Vegas and I’m recognized and get pictures taken. I go back home to Ohio and get pictures taken. I went from being recognized on a very small-state scale to now on a country-and-worldwide scale.”

Nance still finds it’s strange that people are excited to meet him.

“Every time, I just think, ‘These people know how I am? In Chicago? In Vegas? They want my picture?! Why?’ It still really hasn’t hit that I’m an NBA player.”

That’s one of the weirdest things about becoming an NBA player. You’re the same person, and many of the players aren’t recognized in public before the draft. But overnight, once your name is read off of that piece of paper on television, you’re suddenly a big deal and everyone wants a piece of you. Nance is still getting used to all of this.

However, the Lakers rookie has noticed some positives that come with this new-found attention and large audience of supporters. Nance suffers from Crohn’s Disease (as he detailed in a Basketball Insiders profile back in March), and he’s determined to use his large platform to start a foundation and raise awareness for the disease.

Back in March, he talked about the possibility of getting drafted and being able to help some people diagnosed with Crohn’s. Now, as a first-round pick on the NBA’s most popular team in a huge market like Los Angeles, he realizes he can really make a difference.

“It’s great for me, but even better for the Crohn’s community,” Nance said. “I’ve tried to be as vocal and open about it as possible and now, being in the NBA and in Los Angeles, it’s like having a big megaphone. I’m ready to maybe start a foundation and just get Crohn’s [awareness] out there more so it’s not off to the side like it is right now. I want to get it out there and reach as many people as I can.

“[Since being drafted] I’ve gotten messages via Twitter, via Facebook and via Instagram from people saying, ‘Hey, I know your story and I have Crohn’s as well. Keep it going, you are an inspiration.’ They say little things like that. I see all of those, and reading comments like that is just awesome. That’s my goal in this entire thing, to show somebody that if I could do it, you could do it too. The kind of responses I’ve gotten from this whole process is really cool.”

For his message about Crohn’s Disease to reach an even larger audience, Nance knows that he must have success in the NBA and become a notable player. This summer, he has been working hard to expand his game and prepare for his rookie season. He’s communicating with the Lakers’ coaching staff and believes there could be minutes for him in the rotation this year.

“I really haven’t spoken to the [coaches] too much about my role; they are more so [telling me] to keep working hard, get in the weight room, just telling me how to improve and things like that,” Nance said. “From what I understand, if I put the work in, if I work as hard as I can, there is going to be minutes available for me because we do have such a young and up-and-coming team.”

This offseason, one of Nance’s main focuses has been improving his shot. In college, he shot 51.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range, but he wants to ensure that he can shoot a high percentage in the NBA and be consistent against the tougher competition. Nance recently attended Tim Grgurich’s famed camp and altered his shot, which should pay dividends once the NBA season starts.

“The biggest thing I want to work on this offseason is my shooting,” Nance said. “I went to the Tim Grgurich camp in Vegas and that was great for me because I got to work with a bunch of coaches there and we kind of changed my shot a little bit. Now, it’s more functional and stuff like that. I’m just working on perfecting that and just getting better at becoming a knock-down shooter. This season, [I’m focused on] mid-range. Next season, I’m moving onto threes and moving to different spots on the floor and things like that. Shooting is definitely the biggest thing I’m working on.”

Another reason Nance was in Las Vegas this summer was to compete in the NBA’s Summer League, which was his first time representing the Lakers organization. Nance did well in the event, appearing in five games. His best outing was an eight-point, five-rebound, three-steal, two-block performance against the Philadelphia 76ers. He had a number of highlight plays that went viral, including a monster block off of the backboard and a powerful put-back slam.

“It was really cool because that’s a type of stage that I had never been on before,” Nance said of playing Summer League. “Being in Thomas and Mack Center and actually hearing the Lakers fans chanting my name gave me goose bumps. It gave me the chills. It was like, ‘Wow, welcome to the NBA, there’s 20,000 people here!’ I just can’t wait to see more of it honestly.”

Summer League was Nance’s first opportunity to play alongside his fellow Lakers rookie D’Angelo Russell, who was the second overall pick in this year’s draft. The two players have hit it off and become good friends, spending a lot of time together off the court. Nance has been impressed with how mature and confident Russell is as a 19-year-old.

“D’Angelo is a great kid,” Nance said. “I mean, it’s crazy because he’s 19 years old! I’m coming into the league with the mindset of like, ‘Alright, after four years of college, I’m ready and I can do this.’ He’s coming into the league like, ‘Alright, after one year I decided I can do it.’ He’s great.

“He’s fun-loving, and loves to just do things. It doesn’t matter what it is. He’ll go to the mall, go to the golf range, go play mini golf. Whatever it may be, he is always moving, always doing stuff. So I’m really enjoying trying to keep up with him. He’s just so eager to see everything and I’m tagging along.”

Nance can’t wait for the start of the season, when he’ll step onto the NBA court surrounded by thousands of cheering fans and play his first real game as a member of the Lakers.

It may feel surreal, but this is Nance’s life now. His wildest dreams have become reality, and he’s enjoying every second of the journey.