Pelicans' Larry Nance Jr. Ruled Out vs. Jalen Brunson, Knicks with Ankle Injury

The New Orleans Pelicans announced that forward Larry Nance Jr. left the team's road game against the New York Knicks on Saturday evening with a left ankle sprain and will not return.

Nance left the game early in the second quarter after playing five minutes off the bench. Starting center Jonas Valančiūnas returned to the court for Nance, who entered Saturday posting 7.9 points on 61.6 percent shooting and 6.0 rebounds in 22.6 minutes per game this year.

On Feb. 8, 2022, the Portland Trail Blazers traded Nance to the Pels in a seven-player, three-pick deal that most notably brought CJ McCollum to New Orleans.

Nance made his Pelicans debut until March 24 after he had right knee surgery on Feb. 11. He had been out since Jan. 5 with right knee soreness but was able to come back and help the Pels make the playoffs and push the top-seeded Phoenix Suns to six games in the Western Conference first round.

The former Wyoming star began his career with the Los Angeles Lakers, who took him with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. He spent two-plus years there before L.A. traded him to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018. Nance finished the 2017-18 season with the Cavs and played the next three years in Cleveland, too.

After the 2020-21 season, the Cavs dealt Nance to Portland, which made seismic roster changes around point guard Damian Lillard.

Nance is an energetic and productive reserve at his best, and his return will be a welcome sight for this team. If he's slated to miss time, look for Naji Marshall to see more work.