Nance has always had a great fantasy profile, but his career is trending in the wrong direction. The big man was playing over 28 minutes a night between 2018 and 2021, averaging 9.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.5 blocks on 51 percent shooting. That's the stat-stuffing we love to see from one of our fantasy big men, but he's playing just 22 minutes a night over the last two years. Nance is averaging 6.9 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.5 blocks in that two-year span. What's really held Nance back is his inability to stay on the court, playing just 202 games over the last four years. It's sad to see such a talented big man deal with so many injuries, and it's really hurting his role with his new team. Nance joined the Pelicans less than two years ago and is limited to being a role player with that stacked roster. It's worse that he played just 21 minutes a night last year because Zion Williamson didn't even play. Zion is expected to play 30-35 minutes a night, while Jonas Valanciunas, Herb Jones and Naji Marshall get some power forward and center minutes as well. That's too many bodies for Nance to reach the 30 minutes we saw previously, and it looks like he'll be locked into 20 minutes as long as this roster stays healthy. His fantasy resume will always make him an enticing option, but the role makes him nearly impossible to trust. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a two-year, $21.58 million contract extension with the Pelicans in October of 2022.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
Larry Donnell Nance Jr. was born in 1993 in Akron, Ohio to Larry Sr. and Jaynee Nance. His father played for the Suns and Cavaliers over 13 NBA seasons and was named an All-Star three times. Nance went just out of town to Revere High School, where he began as a 5-foot-11 freshman point guard. By the time he was a senior, he had grown eight inches and led the team to consecutive league titles. In that final year, Nance posted 18.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 3.0 blocks, and 2.6 steals per game as he was honored with First-Team All-District, First-Team All-League, and Second-Team All-Ohio selections. As someone who has dealt with Crohn's disease, he has raised awareness and has served as a mentor to others battling the illness. You can follow Nance on Twitter (@Larrydn22) and Instagram (@larrydn7). Nance is a second-generation basketball player whose father won the NBA's first Slam Dunk Contest. He spent four years at Wyoming and improved each season. The 6-foot-8 forward came off the bench exclusively as a freshman in support of Leonard Washington. He put up 4.1 points and 4.0 rebounds in 17.9 minutes. He moved into the starting lineup as a sophomore and averaged 10.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals. Nance seem to find his stride at the end of the season and averaged 17.6 points and 6.8 rebounds over the last five games. The forward provided 15.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.1 blocks as a junior and had eight double-doubles, including 38 points and 12 rebounds in a loss at Denver. As a senior, Nance guided the Cowboys for the first time since 2002. He averaged 16.1 points and 7.2 rebounds. He helped the team win the Mountain West Conference tournament by averaging 15.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in wins over Utah State, Boise State and San Diego State. The Cowboys lost in the first round to Northern Iowa, but Nance contributed 16 points and seven rebounds. Nance was drafted 27th overall in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Logs 33 minutes off bench
FNew Orleans Pelicans
March 27, 2024
Nance provided four points (2-4 FG), two rebounds and one steal across 33 minutes during Tuesday's 119-112 loss to the Thunder.
ANALYSIS While Nance continues to come off the bench in New Orleans, he's averaging more minutes (23.5) through March than the Pelicans' starting center, Jonas Valanciunas (18.4). Valanciunas saw just 10.5 minutes of floor time Tuesday night and finished with six points, six rebounds and one assist.
2023 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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Stat Review
How does Larry Nance compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
66.9%
Effective Field Goal %
65.0%
3-Point Attempt Rate
26.5%
Free Throw Rate
26.0%
Offensive Rebound %
8.6%
Defensive Rebound %
19.9%
Total Rebound %
14.4%
Assist %
10.9%
Steal %
2.2%
Block %
1.7%
Turnover %
11.4%
Usage %
11.0%
Fantasy Points Per Game
17.5
Fantasy Points Per Minute
0.9
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Total
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NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Pelicans Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Larry Nance was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
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Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Larry Nance See More
Jason Shebilske highlights his top drop candidates during the fantasy playoffs, including Jonas Valanciunas, who's been losing playing time to Larry Nance.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Nearing return
FNew Orleans Pelicans
December 19, 2023
Pelicans coach Willie Green said Tuesday that Nance, who has missed the last nine games with a right rib fracture, is "on pace to be back pretty soon," Erin Summers of Bally Sports New Orleans reports.
ANALYSIS Nance was initially slated to miss around 4-6 weeks after being diagnosed with his right rib fracture Nov. 30. While the 30-year-old forward is on track to return soon, it is unlikely he will take the floor before the start of 2024. Nance is averaging 3.5 points and 4.1 rebounds in 15.1 minutes across his 14 appearances this season and should resume his role as a primary backup in New Orleans' frontcourt once he's able to return.
Nance was moved to New Orleans last season from Portland and saw meaningful minutes down the stretch and through the playoffs. However, Zion Williamson's return will cut into his opportunities, making him a tough player to roster consistently. As seen in the past, Nance can provide specialist value even in limited minutes, which could very well be the case this season. If he can carve out a 20-minute role, managers should look at him as a potential source of steals and rebounds when seeking a short-term boost.
For better or for worse, Nance's fantasy value has been tied to Kevin Love's health in recent years. That's resulted in Nance often being a nice, late-round draft selection or mid-season pick-up due to Love's consistent injury issues. He's ranked inside the top-105 in each of the past three seasons. Last year, he was 85th in per-game production via 9.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.2 combined steals-plus-blocks in 31.2 minutes. He's also improved his three-point shooting, hitting 1.1 threes per game at 35.5 percent over the past two seasons. This season brings about a new opportunity for Nance, as he was dealt to the Trail Blazers in the offseason in the trade that sent Lauri Markkanen to the Cavaliers. Nance has potential to play a multi-position sixth-man role for the Blazers, who are extremely short on quality depth. Though Nance has mostly played power forward and center, he saw some run at small forward last season and has a chance to continue that in Portland. Fantasy managers who have been high on Nance's upside in recent seasons should feel good about this move. Aggressively, he could be targeted around picks 80-90, but he can probably be had later than that.
For a fifth straight season, Nance set a new career high in points (10.1) as a direct result of increased opportunities from beyond the arc -- he averaged 2.8 three-pointers per game compared to 1.5 in the previous season. However, the 27-year-old forward sustained slight dips across the rest of the categories, posting 7.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 26.3 minutes per contest. He should be in line for a similar workload in the upcoming season and perhaps a slight uptick if he can stay healthy. Tristan Thompson left for Boston in free agency but was quickly replaced by fifth-overall pick Isaac Okoro. Nance should still have an edge as one of the first players off the bench, but Okoro's addition is just more competition standing in the way of minutes.
During Nance's first full season in Cleveland, he set career highs in points (9.4), rebounds (8.2), assists (3.2) and minutes (26.8) over 67 contests. Though the Cavs finished near the bottom of the league in the standings, that didn't really impact the big man's overall production. In fact, it may have given him even more opportunities to succeed, especially considering the injury bug that bit Cleveland during the 2018-19 campaign. While Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson will both be back for the upcoming season, Nance figures to slot in as one of the first players off the bench in the frontcourt, likely allowing him to rack up minutes in the mid-20s on a nightly basis. That's assuming he stays healthy, however. Nance hasn't cracked more than 67 games in his first four seasons. On a positive note, Nance's shot from three improved drastically in 2018, as he knocked down a career-best 33.7 percent of his triples, sinking an average of 1.5 per matchup. The former first-round pick out of Wyoming continues to trend upward as he gains NBA experience, and he'll take that momentum into the 2019-20 season.
Nance opened the 2017-18 campaign in complementary role off the bench with the Lakers, providing the all-around production and energy that coaches love. However, a mid-season trade involving the Cavaliers' Isaiah Thomas and handful of other players ended up sending Nance to Cleveland as an upside piece. The 6-foot-9 big man's value didn't change much with his new organization, though, and in 66 games between the two teams, he posted averages of 8.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.3 steals, while shooting 58.1 percent from the field. His situation with Cleveland became slightly more intriguing this offseason after LeBron James bolted for Los Angeles. The Cavaliers have already tabbed Nance as a building block for the future and are hoping to extend the 25-year-old, which would suggest the team is hoping to key in on his development moving forward. Kevin Love was given a four-year, $120 million extension and Tristan Thompson is back and set to make over $17 million, so there are a few players in the way of a 30-plus minute role. That said, if the organization does like Nance's upside as much as has been let on, look for him to see a decent uptick in his playing time from the 21.5 minutes he averaged in 2017-18. While Nance's lack of a three-point game and poor free-throw percentage are always of concern, his ability to provide across-the-board value would bring him into consideration for ownership in the the bulk of Fantasy leagues if he's able to garner a full starter's workload. Look for Nance to at least be the first big man off the bench right away, though he could work his way into the top unit eventually.
Nance's lack of perimeter game may end up confining him to the bench for the better part of his career, but he's already shown at 24 years old that he's still quite valuable to the Lakers as a role player. Though injuries cropped up periodically last season, Nance was a solid producer when healthy, averaging 7.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals in just 22.9 minutes per game while shooting 52.6 percent from the floor. As an athletic, high-energy player, Nance provides a nice change-of-pace option at power forward behind the more offensive-minded Julius Randle, and is also capable of moving up on the positional spectrum to lock up more perimeter-oriented small forwards. If Nance were to land a consistent 30-minute role, he'd probably offer enough across-the-board value to warrant ownership in just about every fantasy setting, but that seems unlikely to materialize in 2017-18. With the Lakers still viewing last year's No. 2 overall pick, Brandon Ingram, as their starting small forward alongside Randle and veterans Luol Deng and Corey Brewer and rookie Kyle Kuzma also in the mix for playing time at forward with the second unit, Nance looks bound to stick in the 20-to-25-minute range for the foreseeable future.
Judging by the crowd reaction at Las Vegas Summer League, the Lakers may have found their bench sparkplug/cult hero in Larry Nance Jr. Despite an inauspicious start as a Laker, when a derogatory tweet about Kobe Bryant was discovered on his timeline, Nance has been embraced by the Lakers' fans and showed off some surprising skills. The senior from Wyoming was selected with the 27th pick in the first round of the 2015 draft after averaging 16.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.2 blocks, and 0.5 three-pointers in 35 minutes through his 31 games last season in the Mountain West conference. He'll have to battle Julius Randle, Brandon Bass, and Ryan Kelly for minutes at the power forward spot, and for him to have a meaningful impact this season, a lot will need to go right for him and wrong for the Lakers for that to happen. But, Nance showed off incredible athleticism in Vegas, and his college play showed an aptitude for acquiring defensive stats, which can be extremely valuable in fantasy leagues. The problem is, will the rest of his game develop enough, and will he get enough of an opportunity to be helpful in fantasy leagues this season? That seems like it may be a tough task.
More Fantasy News
Double-double off bench Tuesday
FNew Orleans Pelicans
March 20, 2024
Nance registered 13 points (6-8 FG, 1-3 3Pt), 10 rebounds, two assists and one steal in 28 minutes off the bench during Tuesday's 104-91 win over Brooklyn.
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Not listed on injury report
FNew Orleans Pelicans
March 18, 2024
Nance (illness) isn't listed on the Pelicans' injury report for Tuesday's game against the Nets.
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Won't play against Portland
FNew Orleans Pelicans
Illness
March 16, 2024
Nance is out for Saturday's game versus the Trail Blazers due to a non-COVID illness.
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Makes strong impression
FNew Orleans Pelicans
March 11, 2024
Nance posted 10 points (4-4 FG, 2-3 FT), two rebounds, three assists and four steals across 29 minutes during Sunday's 116-103 win over the Hawks.
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Passive performance Tuesday
FNew Orleans Pelicans
February 27, 2024
Nance logged four points (2-3 FG, 0-1 3Pt, 0-1 FT), six rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes during Tuesday's 115-92 win over the Knicks.
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