Larry Nance Jr.'s Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

The Atlanta Hawks announced that forward/centerLarry Nance Jr. (hand) will undergo surgery on Thursday after imaging confirmed a fractured fourth metacarpal bone in his right hand. A recovery timetable has yet to be provided, but the 31-year-old will likely miss several weeks after playing very well in December. Despite Nance's upcoming extended absence, Onyeka Okongwu did return for the Hawks on Sunday after missing five consecutive contests due to inflammation in his left knee.

Atlanta Hawks forward/center Larry Nance Jr. believes he will have a great time playing under the guidance of Quin Snyder. "Quin is a basketball mastermind," Nance Jr. told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Lauren L. Williams. "I was a huge fan of his when he was at Utah, and obviously, these past few years in Atlanta. Now I'm excited to play for him, and we're gonna get along really well. Yeah, I consider myself a high-IQ basketball player, and he's very high IQ." Nance Jr.'s production has dipped in recent years, and he will attempt to produce a bounce-back campaign under a new coach on a different team. However, he needs to avoid health troubles to make it happen. The 31-year-old has never played more than 67 games in a single NBA campaign.

The Hawks acquired forward Larry Nance Jr. from the Pelicans as a part of the trade that sent Dejounte Murray to New Orleans. Nance began his career with the Los Angeles Lakers and made stops in Cleveland and Portland before landing in New Orleans. Since his most productive season with the Cavs in 2019-20, his statistical contributions have declined over the years, and he finished the 2023-24 campaign by averaging just 5.7 points and 5.0 rebounds. Nance will likely play sparingly this season, so he won't draw much attention from fantasy managers. Also included in Friday's trade, the Hawks receive EJ Liddell, Dyson Daniels, and two first-round picks.

New Orleans Pelicans forward/center Larry Nance Jr. (personal) won't be available on Thursday versus Sacramento. He comes out of the lineup for personal reasons after playing in each of the last 12 games. Nance Jr.'s absence should mean a busy night for Jonas Valanciunas against his fellow Lithuanian big man Domantas Sabonis. In four previous head-to-head battles this season, Valanciunas has logged 14.5 points and 11.8 rebounds in 25.0 minutes.