The Los Angeles Lakers will shut down rookie forward Larry Nance Jr. until after the All-Star break to allow his sore right knee to rest, the team announced Monday.
With the All-Star break set for Feb. 12-14, Nance will miss six consecutive games, including yesterday’s bout against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Lakers currently own the worst record in the Western Conference and second-worst in the NBA with a mark of 9-41.
Nance, who’s averaging 5.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.3 blocks this season, previously worked his way into the Lakers’ starting lineup midway through the first half of the year. Despite playing just 13.4 minutes per game, the 23-year-old has impressed head coach Byron Scott with his defensive prowess while his offense continues to come along.
Initially missing four games due to the sore knee, Nance attempted to play through the pain for a trio of contests. However, with the pain proving too severe, he was ruled out of Sunday’s 101-82 loss to the Hornets and eventually for the next two weeks.
One of two Lakers rookies to be selected in last year’s NBA Draft, Nance was taken with the 27th overall pick while point guard D’Angelo Russell was added with the No. 2 overall pick.