Larry Nance Jr. puts out his best game at the best time
Knee surgery at the beginning of January, Larry Nance Jr. was sidelined for more than two months. And when he came back, it was no longer in Portland, but in New Orleans. Its start to the year 2022 has therefore been eventful.
But all is forgotten now that this « play-in » is over. New Orleans beat the Spurs, then the Clippers and will now tackle the serious stuff: playoffs against the Suns, the best team of the regular season and the defending finalists.
“This summer, I left Cleveland because I wanted to play on a playoff team,” he says at a press conference. “Look where I am. I’m very happy to be here, me like CJ McCollum. »
The words of the 2018 finalist resonate even stronger now that Cleveland has been eliminated from the playoff race, at the same time, against Atlanta. Silent against the Spurs, Nance Jr. released his best game of the season, whether under the colors of the Blazers or those of the Pelicans, with 14 points at 7/8 in shooting, 16 rebounds and 4 assists in 25 minutes against Los Angeles!
“He adds another dynamic to our team”
With his seven offensive rebounds, he consistently put the lid on, tap-dancing dunks, after his teammates’ misfires.
« He was monstrous » comments Willie Green. « We knew it was going to be his game when we saw how the Clippers were playing. Tyronn Lue has decided to play « small ball » and Nance can defend on several exteriors. He’s big, powerful, can take rebounds. He took 16 in this meeting, it was crucial for us. Without his efforts, we do not win this game. »
And to think that it was only his eleventh game under the colors of New Orleans… “I struggled to get back into shape, into rhythm, after my operation. But I approached every game the same way, including this one. I knew that against their system, I was going to play a lot, so I brought energy, effort. »
His coach is happy to finally be able to count on him, after weeks spent in the infirmary waiting for him. A Nance Jr. available is one more weapon for the Pelicans.
« When he arrived here, we knew he was recovering, but he told me he would be ready for the end of the season »says Green. “That says a lot about him. He’s a smart player. We can give him the ball, he will make the right choice, again and again, in attack and in defense. He adds another dynamic to our team. »
| Larry Nance, Jr. | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2015-16 | ALL | 63 | 20 | 52.7 | 10.0 | 68.1 | 1.6 | 3.4 | 5.0 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 0.9 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 5.5 |
| 2016-17 | ALL | 63 | 23 | 52.6 | 27.8 | 73.8 | 1.9 | 4.0 | 5.9 | 1.5 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 7.1 |
| 2017-18 * | All Teams | 66 | 22 | 58.1 | 16.7 | 66.4 | 2.4 | 4.4 | 6.9 | 1.2 | 2.6 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 8.7 |
| 2017-18 * | ALL | 42 | 22 | 60.1 | 25.0 | 63.2 | 2.6 | 4.2 | 6.8 | 1.4 | 2.7 | 1.4 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 8.6 |
| 2017-18 * | KEY | 24 | 21 | 55.0 | 12.5 | 72.0 | 2.2 | 4.8 | 7.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 8.9 |
| 2018-19 | KEY | 67 | 27 | 52.0 | 33.7 | 71.6 | 2.5 | 5.7 | 8.2 | 3.2 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 9.4 |
| 2019-20 | KEY | 56 | 26 | 53.1 | 35.2 | 67.6 | 1.9 | 5.4 | 7.3 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 10.1 |
| 2020-21 | KEY | 35 | 31 | 47.1 | 36.0 | 61.2 | 1.5 | 5.2 | 6.7 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 0.5 | 9.3 |
| 2021-22 * | All Teams | 46 | 23 | 52.2 | 32.9 | 70.2 | 1.6 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 1.8 | 1.8 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 7.0 |
| 2021-22 * | ORP | 37 | 23 | 51.5 | 30.6 | 65.3 | 1.6 | 4.1 | 5.7 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 6.9 |
| 2021-22 * | NOP | 9 | 20 | 55.1 | 50.0 | 100.0 | 1.6 | 2.8 | 4.3 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 7.3 |
| Total | 396 | 24 | 52.9 | 33.3 | 68.9 | 2.0 | 4.5 | 6.5 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 0.5 | 8.1 | |
