The 6-foot-7 Nance is strong enough to hold his own at center but agile enough to switch onto smaller players in the pick-and-roll. “I feel like this type of role is what I’ve been looking for for a while,” Nance said. “Closing games as a switchable 5 that if you need to play through me, play through me. If you need me to space, I can space.” In October, the Pelicans showed how much they valued Nance by signing him to a two-year, $21.6 million extension. He is under contract for the next three years. Nance has played a big role so far this season. In 10 games, he is averaging 9.0 points on 66.7% shooting, 5.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He is playing nearly eight minutes per game in the fourth quarter.