The Bounce Is Back

After battling injuries the last few seasons, Larry Nance Jr. is healthy and making a major impact off the bench for the Pelicans.

Larry Nance Jr. scored a season-high 20 points in emphatic fashion to help lead the New Orleans Pelicans to victory over the Golden State Warriors Friday night.

Nance made 10 of his 12 shot attempts, including seven dunks. 

Our guy @Larrydn22 had 20 points and 8 rebounds last night. So, we're gonna show y'all all of his dunk from yesterday🙂 pic.twitter.com/pwJGGthG8J

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 5, 2022

The seven dunks tied both Nance's personal best and the franchise's single-game mark.

Over his past six games, he's been the Pelicans' most consistent front court player, posting averages of 11.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.0 steals per game in just under 25 minutes.

Nance was an under-the-radar steal for the New Orleans front office when he was included in the seven-player deal with the Portland Trail Blazers that was headlined by the acquisition of CJ McCollum.

Due to various injuries, Nance hadn't played more than 56 games in a season since 2018-19, when he appeared in a career-high 67 that included 30 starts.

David Griffin and company were able to look past that and see a player that when on the floor was one of the top front court defenders in the league. A super-sub who could change the course of a game no matter how many or how few minutes he played each night.

He could take on all three front court positions defensively and protect the rim, even as a relatively undersized big man.

He also brought championship-level experience, having reached the NBA Finals in 2018 as a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

His New Orleans debut was postponed as Nance recovered from a knee injury, keeping him inactive for the first 15 games following the trade. However, he wasted no time in showing just how valuable he could be once he joined the lineup.

By the time the playoffs arrived, Nance's contributions increased again as Jonas Valanciunas and Jaxson Hayes struggled to deal with the Suns duo of Deandre Ayton and JaVale McGee.

That 17-game sample was all the Pelicans needed to sign him to a two-year contract extension shortly before the start of the season.

Nance's high level of play has carried over into this season along with his leadership, which has been invaluable to a team that is still one of the youngest in the NBA.

As a finisher he has been devastating. He has 17 dunks in 8 games and is shooting 82.8 percent at the rim. His overall effective field goal percentage leads the Pels at 77.5%, more than 10 points higher than the next closest player.

If the Pelicans are playing well, more often than not, Nance has been in the ball game.

Of New Orleans top five 5-man lineups (by Net Rating) with at least 10 minutes together, he appears in four, including the top three. In 4-man lineups with at least 20 minutes, he's in two of the top three. In 3-man groups? Nance is in two of the top four. In all three groups, the top lineup has a healthy dose of Larry.

Finally healthy my guy!

— Larry Nance (@Larrydn22) October 28, 2022

On top of that, Nance has become a fan favorite. Not only because of his play, but his earnest efforts to connect and improve his newly adopted home.

He's worked with local schools to provide much-needed supplies for a school system populated with underserved children.

That’s what it’s all about: community helping community," he told Pelicans writer Jim Eichenhofer this summer.

It would have been good enough for Larry Nance Jr. to be a standout player for the Pelicans. It's a bonus that he's also a standout person.