Larry Nance Jr. didn’t land in Indiana by accident. He saw a team built for the way the NBA is trending and made that a big part of his decision.
The veteran big man, who has been in the league for more than a decade, said the modern game has shifted into something faster and more demanding. In his view, that means teams need depth, conditioning and enough trust in the full roster to survive the regular season grind.
“You know, the pace being played right now across the league is blistering,” Nance said. “You can't do that with nine guys in a regular season. You're not going to make it.”
Nance pointed to the Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder as teams that have already adjusted to that reality.
“You see teams like Oklahoma City and teams like Indiana have been at the top over the past couple years playing, 10, 11, 12 guys in the regular season just because of the pace,” Nance said. “You're other there, you give it all you got and come, we got you.”
That approach was a major reason he wanted to join Indiana.
“It’s a new NBA, and that’s one of the major reason I wanted to come to the Pacers,” Nance said, “because they're at the forefront of the new NBA.”
Even before he became part of the roster, Indiana’s identity stood out to him. Under head coach Rick Carlisle, the Pacers have built their game around speed and the ability to keep pushing that pace from start to finish. For Nance, that fit also came with a personal challenge, especially after injuries have affected him in recent seasons.
“I think, over the past couple years, the Pacers have, under coach Carlisle, really stood out to me as one of the most conditioned teams in the league and how relentless they were for 48 minutes,” Nance said. “And that was something that over the last couple years, I felt that I wanted more of.”
He said he wants to get back to the energetic style that has defined much of his career.
“To get in tip-top shape and get back to playing uan p-and-down style of basketball,” Nance said. “These guys have accepted me right away, and I'm just excited to learn from the coaching staff.”
Nance also spoke about the physical setbacks that shaped the last stretch of his career. In an interview with Tony East of Forbes, he said, “It's no secret.
I've had a few bumps and brusies in my career,” and added, “Last year was more of a getting healthy type year. I had a pretty brutal one at the end of Atlanta.”
Now, he says he feels ready to go.
“I’m just excited,” Nance said. “Again, I feel great. I feel ready to go and I'm just ready to get in tip-top shape and help be the most conditioned team and let the cards fall where they may.”
After following the Pacers from afar for several seasons, Nance is now in the middle of the system that drew him to Indiana in the first place.
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