Larry Nance Jr. is part of a culture change for playoff-bound Pelicans. ‘Look at what we got.’

There were roughly nine weeks of regular season remaining when the trade that sent Larry Nance Jr. from the Portland Trail Blazers to the New Orleans Pelicans was finalized.

When it went through, the Pelicans knew Nance was going to need arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

The first time Nance spoke to Pelicans coach Willie Green, Nance vowed he would be back on the floor before the season was over.

“He looked me in my eyes and said, ‘I’ll be ready to play by the end of the season,’ ” Green said. “That said a lot about him.”

Six weeks later, Nance made his New Orleans debut. In a short amount of time, he has become an important rotation piece. The seven-year NBA pro is an athletic, high-IQ big who can play power forward or center.

Nance was vital in the Pelicans’ 105-101 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. He had a 14-point, 16-rebound effort and played all but 17 seconds in the fourth quarter, in which New Orleans outscored the Clippers 31-17.

“Larry was a monster,” Green said. “We kind of figured it was going to be a Larry game the way they play. (Clippers coach) Ty Lue’s adjustments are to go small. Larry has the capability of guarding a number of perimeter guys. He’s big. He’s strong. He can rebound the ball. You guys saw it tonight.”

At the start of the second half, Lue did downsize. He replaced Ivica Zubac, a 7-foot center, with Robert Covington, a 6-7 forward, in the starting lineup.

Green compared the tactical battle to a heavyweight fight. Shortly after halftime, he got backed into a corner and was taking lumps. It took Green until the fourth quarter to find the right combinations to counter.

In the final 12 minutes, the Pelicans’ two stars — CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram — played heavy minutes. So did rookie Trey Murphy and Nance.

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Nance grabbed six rebounds in the final quarter. None were more significant than the offensive rebound he collected in traffic with a little less than five minutes remaining. He beat two Clippers — wings Terrance Mann and Marcus Morris Sr. — to the ball and found Murphy spotting up in the right corner. Murphy’s make tied the game at 94.

“I knew with their switch-heavy lineups and their guard play and wing play, it was probably going to be a heavier minutes night for myself,” Nance said. “I just tried to provide energy and effort, and fortunately that helped us tonight.”

In 2018, Nance was the runner-up in the slam dunk contest. His leaping ability has not been negatively affected by knee surgery. In fact, Nance said it has had the opposite effect. Several weeks ago, he texted his wife and told her his body feels as good as it has in years.

Nance looked springy in Friday’s win. Of his 16 rebounds, seven came on the offensive end. With 4:02 remaining, Nance put the Pelicans ahead for good when he turned Herb Jones’ missed layup into a put-back dunk.

Prior to this season, Nance had been part of one playoff team. Nance was a member of the 2017-18 Cleveland Cavaliers team that lost in the NBA Finals.

Now, Nance is back in the playoffs. The Pelicans had a 21-32 record when they traded for Nance and CJ McCollum. Both players’ commitment to building a winner in New Orleans has been an important part of the Pelicans’ success during the stretch run.

“Look at what we got,” Nance said. “This is a situation anybody can look at from the outside. When I was in Portland, I knew it. Then when I got here, I really knew it.

“We have Brandon Ingram, who is an All-Star at 25 years old. We have CJ, who is playing like an All-Star. And a freak (Zion Williamson) on ice right now. Who wouldn’t be thrilled about coming to the situation? This summer, I left Cleveland and wanted to go to a playoff team. Now, look, here we sit. I’m thrilled to be here.”

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