Larry Nance Reveals Which Players He Has Been Impressed With So Far In Training Camp

Nance is entering his first season with the Hawks

Apr 1, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (1) reacts after scoring against the Chicago Bulls during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks have a host of new faces on their team and one of them is forward/center Larry Nance. The Hawks are a relatively young team with budding talent coming into this season, but Nance is one of the veterans and will be counted on for leadership on this team.

Two of Atlanta's better young talents are Jalen Johnson and Vit Krejci. Johnson had a very good chance to win the NBA's Most Improved Player Award if he had stayed healthy and Krejci was a pleasant surprise last season. Because of the injuries to the Hawks last season, Krejci came out of nowhere to be a useful two-way player for Atlanta and that landed him a contract this offseason.

When speaking with the media after the Hawks third practice, Nance named Johnson and Krejci as two guys who have been super impressive so far in camp:

""Yeah, I mean, the two that come to mind right away, obviously, last year being in in the West, I only got to play against JJ twice, hit last year. So, you never know what you don't know. I just thought kind of an athletic dude, run like a deer, didn't know the skill level and then seeing him up close and first, he dominated practice today. He was awesome, knocking down three, he's transitioned. He's been really, really impressive and I'm trying to push him more and to speak and see more and leading the group and breaking the huddles and stuff like that cuz he's gonna be a guy in the sleeve and you know with that come heavy is the head that wears a crown so he's, he's gonna wear the crown one day and he's being grouped for that but the other one is Vit. Vit has been awesome. Honestly, I didn't know much about Vit before I got here. The dude can really play like past dribbles he's shooting it, he's shooting the heck out of it and he defends like a true 6 -7, 6 -8. He's been super Impressive."

Johnson is seen as one of the ascending talents in the NBA coming into the 2024-2025 season and it has to do with the growth that he showed last year. Johnson went from a player who was just a young talent to one of the most important players in the franchise. He saw improvements in every major category last season, from points per game (5.6 to 16), assists per game (1.2 to 3.6), rebounds per game (4.0 to 8.7), three-point shooting percentage (28.8% to 35.5%), and minutes per game (14.9 to 33.7). Johnson was one of the favorites to win the Most Improved Player Award and likely would have taken home the hardware if he was able to meet the 65-game threshold last year.

When naming a bold prediction for the Hawks upcoming season, Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus thinks Johnson will take home the award this time around:

"The Atlanta Hawks face a big decision before the season with forward Jalen Johnson, who is extension-eligible. The team can wait until he's a restricted free agent next season, but he is primed for a big season ahead.

Johnson jumped from 5.6 points a game in 2022-23 to 16.0 last season. That trend will continue as he leaps into the 20-point scorer category and the Hawks' best frontcourt player paired with guard Trae Young.

For his efforts, Johnson will earn the NBA's Most Improved Player award and a significant pay hike (perhaps why the Hawks should get a deal done before he blows up even further).