A nominee for the NBA’s Tyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award, New Orleans backup center Larry Nance Jr. tells Pelicans second-leading scorer Brandon Ingram to “be the best player on the court” before games. After Friday’s play-in victory over Sacramento that sent New Orleans to the playoffs, the 31-year-old Nance spent nearly all of his 12-minute postgame press conference crediting other Pelicans players, while rarely even mentioning his own contributions, a common habit (Nance is a go-to guy for an insightful quote on any of the squad’s roster members). He also used that presser to begin campaigning for the upcoming summer free agency of center Jonas Valanciunas and forward Naji Marshall, saying of their professionalism amid fluctuating playing time, “I hope those guys get rewarded for what they’ve done this year, because they deserve it.”
New Orleans has numerous players who seem to take a selfless approach to their jobs and roles, but on a squad filled with those kinds of pros, Nance earned the Twyman-Stokes nomination, as a respected and well-liked nine-year NBA veteran. He is one of 12 candidates for the award from across the league.
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“Larry’s a great guy,” Pelicans rookie guard Jordan Hawkins said. “No surprise that he’s a finalist. He’s a good vet. Teaches me all season long.”
“He’s a great guy,” echoed starting wing Herb Jones. “He’s always bringing the positive energy, saying what needs to be said when it needs to be said. He’s always unapologetically him.”
On the court, Nance often fills a vital defensive and rebounding role for New Orleans, particularly in fourth quarters, when his versatility helps him guard various types of opponents. He was in the lineup in clutch time during Game 1 at Oklahoma City, grabbing three offensive rebounds in the final period. Against the Kings in the play-in elimination game, he posted 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 21 minutes.
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As was the case during his 2022 Crescent City debut, some of Nance’s biggest performances have come at the optimal time (he was an X-factor in both wins during the ’22 playoff series vs. Phoenix). But he was instrumental all season in helping the Pelicans’ bench emerge as second-ranked among the 30 NBA reserve groups. As is his custom, when Nance was asked after the Sacramento win about the unit’s success, he quickly gave credit to fellow subs, including Marshall and Jose Alvarado.
“Jose and Naji were electric,” Nance said. “They brought the same thing all year. I love those guys. Playing on the same court as them is just energy, energy, energy and fight. That’s what this team needs.”