Larry Nance Jr.'s name was largely glossed over in the trade that landed star CJ McCollum in New Orleans midway through the season.
He wasn't even healthy at the time, needing surgery to correct an issue with his knee. But what he said to Willie Green upon arrival told the head coach exactly what he needed to know.
He looked his coach in the eyes and said: "I’ll be ready to play by the end of the season."
And he was, churning out quality minutes over the final nine games of the regular season. And when his number was called in a matchup with the small-ball Clippers, he did everything and more, collecting big rebounds, blocks and easy buckets in a 14-point, 16-rebound performance that doesn't tell the full story in the 105-101 victory that sent the Pelicans to the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Both Green and McCollum agreed: "We don't win" if he's not there.
And that was even true despite the pair of misses on free throws that could've helped ice the game in the final minute.
So why was this the matchup that needed a mega performance from an undersized center? It was all about the matchups. Green referred to the punches and counters with Clippers coach Ty Lue as a "heavyweight fight," the biggest of which was the decision to go small and negate the Pelicans' significant size advantage.
Related
"He just allows us to have different looks out there offensively and defensively," Green said. "We can play JV and go big. We can play Jaxson and go small. We play Larry and it adds a different dynamic to our team.”
Clippers center Ivica Zubac only played 13 minutes, while Robert Covington drew 35 as L.A. switched every screen and forced the Pelicans to win one-on-one. Nance's activity helped the Pelicans build a double-digit lead in the first half despite the team sinking just one 3-pointer and Jonas Valanciunas struggled mightily despite the size advantage over his 25 minutes. Green initially tried to counter the small-ball lineup with Tony Snell in the second half, a stretch that resulted in a near disastrous third quarter that saw a 10-point halftime lead turn into a 10-point deficit at the end of the third quarter. Valanciunas was a team-worst -12, and Snell -9 in his 4 minutes played. Nance was a team-best +13.
"We were throwing darts at the dartboard just trying to figure it out," Green said, "how can we find an environment that we can play in on both ends of the floor. … It was hard, but we just stayed with it, and that’s the important thing.”
But it was Nance's entrance for a majority of the 4th quarter that helped spur the Pelicans to a comeback. He nabbed key rebounds, finished a nifty lob from CJ McCollum to get the margin back to single digits with just under 10 minutes to play, and he swatted a Robert Covington drive during a 14-1 run that brought the score back to even at 88-88 with 7:35 to play.
"You can put the ball in his hands and he just makes the right play over and over and over again," Green said. "And that’s on both ends."
There were big moments all around in that 4th quarter, and Nance's plays might not be the ones making the highlight reel, but they were nonetheless important to support Brandon Ingram's incredible shotmaking, rookie Trey Murphy's clutch 3-pointers and CJ McCollum's calm demeanor with several key buckets despite the stomach issues he revealed after the game he was battling throughout.
And Nance knew the heavy minutes would likely be in the cards. The 24 he logged on Friday marked one of the highest totals since joining the Pelicans, second only to the 28 he played during a matchup with the Clippers earlier in April. He conceded that it's been a struggle to get back his fitness and rhythm after surgery, but he's starting to feel it now.
And that role could be important as the Pelicans embark on their first playoff series since 2018, facing down Chris Paul and the top-seeded Phoenix Suns. However that role develops, Nance is ready for it. And not unlike the player and good friend he was traded for in Josh Hart -- Nance is always ready to do whatever it takes.
The 29-year-old is one of the veterans on a team filled with young players and talent, and that's exactly what he was hoping for when he joined McCollum in Portland last offseason.
“Who wouldn’t be thrilled about coming to this situation? This summer I left Cleveland and wanted to go to a playoff team, and look where we sit?" Nance said. "So I’m thrilled to be here.”
Related
