The New Orleans Pelicans are getting a late Christmas gift Thursday night in the Smoothie King Center. Beloved big man Larry Nance Jr. (ribs) will return to the rotation after spending over a month on the injury report.
Nance Jr. said during the morning shootaround, “I feel great. I’ll be playing tonight. I’m in great shape. I feel ready to go and rejuvenated. I think it will be nice to get some veteran experience back in the lineup, and hopefully a calming force.”
Nance Jr. said at practice earlier this week that the time off “was really good for the whole body. It was a rough summer and now I feel awesome, I feel athletic, I feel bouncy. We've been doing some great things. I'm just looking forward to adding to it.”
The Ohio native continued, “I'm feeling better than I have in a long time. Honestly, for me individually, this was a little bit of a blessing. Obviously, nobody wants to crack their rib but for me, it was nice to give myself a chance to have an actual preseason, a buildup per se. I feel back to myself. I feel back to where I'm ready to make an impact.”
Pelicans need Nance Jr.'s calming influence
The Pelicans need more energy and effectiveness during clutch moments. They also need level heads and fewer turnovers. A five-point game with less than five minutes remaining has been an obstacle New Orleans cannot clear. They are 0-6 in those situations and have dropped nine games after holding a double-digit lead. Another steady, veteran hand in those moments will help immensely.
Nance Jr. likes “to think I have a decent level of (basketball) IQ, so I can help out with that. I’ve got some good experience in late-game situations, so I think I’ll be able to add a bit of calmness there…Overall, for three and a half quarters, we’ve been really good consistently. Fortunately, I pride myself on that half of a quarter that we’re missing. Hopefully, I’ll be able to fit like a puzzle piece back in there, and we’ll be able to figure some stuff out.”
Pelicans head coach Willie Green was giving Nance Jr. about 15 minutes per game as the forward nursed an ankle injury suffered over the summer. A less than 100% Nance Jr. was averaging 3.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.7 assists before suffering the rib injury. It's a safe bet Nance Jr. returns closer to his career averages due to having a no-frills game.
The third-year head coach shared with ClutchPoints that Nance Jr. “is antsy for sure. He's putting in the work and he's getting better and better. We'll have an update for you guys soon on where Larry is but he's getting closer.”
Nance Jr. explained how “(The mental side) was the hardest part early in the season. I felt I was trying to force myself to be in a place where my body wasn't ready to be yet. My mind was seeing things my body could not react to. That's why I feel lucky that I got a chance to give my body a chance to catch up. Mentally, I'm obviously frustrated. I want to be out there. I feel like I could help in every single game we play. All I can do is help from behind right now but in a short amount of time I'll be back.”
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