Hawks’ Larry Nance Jr. Already Receiving Praise For Leadership

Forward Larry Nance Jr. is new to the Hawks, but already, he’s serving notice. For one, he claimed to have blocked teammate Dyson Daniels‘ shot “back to Australia,” interrupting a Daniels interview to reveal as much.

But from the sounds of things, Nance is more than just a fun-loving veteran. During the first two days of training camp, he’s also emerging as a vocal leader, per Lauren Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“It’s definitely something that we need,” Daniels told reporters. “We need a lot of communication. We’ve got guys here like Larry, who’d be communicating. Some of the vets trying to bring us together.”

Added forward Dominick Barlow: “(Nance is) a new guy, but he’s been in a bunch of different situations throughout his career, so he kind of understands how this works. And I think he’s kind of stepped in and taken that role.”

Nance was acquired as part of the Dejounte Murray trade with the Pelicans, as was Daniels. Both are expected to be key parts of a team that hopes to surprise in the Eastern Conference.

Coach Quin Snyder suggested things are going well, but there’s still much work to be done. He added that communication is a big part of success and is pleased with how that’s developing. 

Daniels shared similar sentiments, even if he did have to defend himself against Nance’s trash talk.

“Yeah, we got great communicators on this team, and we got a young group,” Daniels said. “So, it’s about being vocal, being loud, being constructive with the talk, and holding people accountable, as well. It all goes into one. It’s something we need to continue to build on, but I think that we are looking good in that area.”