Larry Nance Jr. performed well in the Portland Trail Blazers' home win over the Chicago Bulls last Thursday, with fans at the Moda Center singing their praises in the half minutes before the game.
"Larry! Larry! Larry! ”
"Yes, I could hear the fans," Nance Jr. said after the game, "and I tried my best to keep a masked face and try not to laugh too hard." It was an incredible feeling, and it was only my 16th game for the team, so I was far more excited than anyone could have imagined.
Nance was grateful for the arrival of the hymn, as his first month in Portland had not been easy. His trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Portland Trail Blazers was one of the headlines in Portland this summer, but in the new team's first 11 games, he was more of a backup option than a key player with winning influence. Nine of those first 11 games were played in less than 20 minutes, including nine minutes against the Clippers in Los Angeles the week before.
Coach Changsi Billups admitted in an interview the previous week that he was still trying to figure out where Larry Nance Jr. was positioned and when to play in the team. As a 6'7-inch player weighing 230 pounds, Bilups' concern is whether Nance is better suited to be a big forward or a center to play against a small lineup. To address Billups' concerns, the team conducted experiments in different games, which also led to a change in Nance Jr. playing time. In those first 11 games, Nance averaged 17 minutes per game, averaging 4.7 points and 5.0 rebounds.
If you feel Nance should play a bigger role in the team, you're not alone.
"I have great expectations for being here," Nance says, "and I love Cleveland so much that it has become home for me." So coming to a new environment and experiencing some turmoil at the beginning, these are not easy for me, really not easy. ”
So in last Thursday's game, Nance Jr. immersed himself in it, and the 17,492 spectators at the Moda Center also unreservedly showed their love for the influence they showed in the game: 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, 1 block and a flying save. In the previous Blazers game against the Toronto Raptors, Nance played the entire fourth quarter with the opposing team's lineup of no center small balls, and scored 15 points and 5 rebounds on all 7 shots.
Nance's performance in Thursday's game is likely to change not just the outcome of one game, but the entire season, as Billups said after the game that he had come to the conclusion that Nance was the best position for the team.
"When Nance first came here, I wasn't sure if he was a No. 4 player who could play in the No. 5 position or a No. 5 player who could play in the No. 4 position," Billups said, "and now, I'm pretty sure he's fully qualified for both positions without making a temporary cameo." At the same time, in the fifth position of the small ball lineup, we were able to maximize his role. ”
On Thursday, the change in the course of the game came at the time when Nance was playing at 8:40 a.m. in the third quarter, when the Blazers were trailing sharply at 54-71. As soon as Nance hit the court, he immediately stood on Alex Caruso's passing route and made a beautiful steal, then grabbed an offensive rebound and passed to Lillard to complete a three-point shot. Over the next half of the quarter, Nance helped the team to a 27-14 chase, helping the team enter the fourth quarter with an anxiety of 81-85 trailing four points.
With the final 12 seconds left in the game, his two free throws gave the Trail Blazers a 110-107 lead, and it was at this time that he sparked cheers and praise from fans.
"He brought all his efforts to the field, and I think anybody can agree with that," Billups said, "and everybody can see this player running on the pitch, blocking the opponent's shots, flying dunks, putting in the game with all his heart and soul, and the fans really appreciate that performance." So I'm pretty sure hearing the fans shout will make him feel great, and I'd love to hear the fans cheer for him. ”
The Trail Blazers still have a lot of problems to solve, and they currently have a 9-8 record, including 8-1 when the team sits at the Moda Center and 1-7 when they go to the road. Billups currently has 10 players in his rotation, and his ideal strategy is a 9-man rotation. The 7-foot-tall team center Cody Zeller is more of a traditional center forward and will be activated more often against a big lineup, which will put Nance back in the position of big forward. But the Blazers did find a way to keep Nance active on the court as a small lineup center, usually with nasir Little paired as the team's frontcourt partner.
For Nance, the best way to develop all of this is gradual. He didn't need to meet with Billups to discuss his role in the team, and he never felt abused by the team, everything just happened naturally.
"I think it's a great thing. We don't have to sit back and marvel at what's going on, and we don't have to wonder how to help me better integrate into the team," Nance said, "And the coach knows I'm the kind of player who can just put me on the pitch and he'll find everything on his own." And I'll be proud to be part of the steady progress of the team. ”
But that doesn't mean Nance isn't feeling any pressure. The new team, the high-profile deal, did not immediately come up with a performance ... He admitted to doubling the pressure in his limited playing time.
"You have very high expectations for yourself coming to a new team and you only get 13, 14 minutes of playing time per game, so you try to cram everything into this limited playing time," Nance said, "so to be honest, I only have gratitude for the trust and support that Changsi has given me." ”
Nance also said he was so comforted by the coaching staff when he was anxious about his performance on the pitch.
"I've been asking them all the time, 'Can I get better?' What more do I need to do? What to do less? Like, how can I get more playing time because I know we're going to be a better team when I'm on the pitch. And the answer I get is always exactly the same: Be yourself, we make that deal just to get you, to get the you we traded with. And now everything is on track, and I'm still the one I am. ”
In the last five games, Nance has averaged 11.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 22.8 minutes per game. More telling than the stats is that his impact on the game was also a perfect complement to the team's starting center, Yusuf Nurkic, who also had 18 points and 12 rebounds against the Bulls. In the upcoming game against big center teams such as Denver, Sacramento and the Utah Jazz, There is a good chance that Bilups will choose Zeller as the replacement center. That means Nance will be back in the big forward position. Nance quipped when he mentioned that he had often swung between center and big forward positions while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers that he was not in the No. 4 or No. 5 position, but the No. 4.5 player.
"That's one of the strengths I can give to the team – the diversity of squad selection," Nance said, "and I'm sure we're going to find more ways to use the existing squad to be creative." ”
Meanwhile, Nance will enjoy the night he was recognised by the new home fans and received praise. He said it was the first time he had been chanted by his name since he attended college in Wyoming in December 2014. He still remembers the team's opener against UNLV that day in 2014 (he and UNLV forward Christian Wood scored 29 points each) and the results of that day (University of Wyoming reversed victory, 76-71).
"It's an experience that I will remember for a lifetime, and many years from now, if anyone asks if anyone has ever shouted my name, I'll be able to tell you the story of the day verbatim," Nance said. "It means a lot to me."