One thing that is still a question mark for the Cleveland Cavaliers is their late-game rotation; however, Larry Nance Jr. seems to be the man down low.
After the Cleveland Cavaliers four pre-trade deadline additions, it seemed obvious their plan for both this season and moving forward. They were going for a younger, more versatile team to surround LeBron James with and a team that can survive in the East in the post-James era. Koby Altman, who decreased the team’s average age significantly while improving the talent, brought in one of the league’s most underrated players in Larry Nance Jr.
While Larry Nance Jr. has yet to take over as a starter, he does seem to be Tyronn Lue’s late-game big man. His role on defense is simple: switch off a screen and be able to guard dynamic guards. On offense, he doesn’t demand much of the ball, but he has shown that he can use his imperative athleticism to sky for boards, averaging a key 21.8% rebounding rate in the final period.
As for the rotation if the Cavs last three games, Nance Jr. has averaged 7.9 minutes per game in the final period, while teammate Tristan Thompson has yet to record a single fourth-quarter minute in those games. Two of those three games were close, nail-biting games too.
Nance Jr. playing valuable minutes in the final period tells me a few things. For starters, it tells me that he’s starting to gain trust from head coach Tyronn Lue. Obviously, with the game on the line, you want the players out there that will get the job done, and with an 87.5% field goal percentage in the final period of those games, Nance Jr. has certainly been doing his best to earn Lue’s trust on the court.
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While on the floor in general, Nance Jr. has proven to be a vital spark whether playing with the starters or second unit. In his time in Cleveland (six games), Nance Jr. has the team’s second-best net rating during that span only behind Jose Calderon who averaged 2.6 minutes per game. On the complete other end of that spectrum, Tristan Thompson, during the team’s last six games, has the worst defensive rating at -5.0.
While many dismiss the offensive and defensive rating because it factors in the team’s play, not just the individual player’s, there is something to be said about that difference between Nance Jr. and Thompson and impact they have on their fellow teammates.
Not to mention in Nance Jr.’s 21.6 minutes of play, he’s been able to maintain a sub-100 defensive rating. While he’s not an offensive force nor a stellar defender, Nance Jr. makes the necessary plays in order to win a game, and that’s why Tyronn Lue will continue to keep him in his late-game lineups moving forward.
While that certainly doesn’t mean we have seen the last of Tristan Thompson, it does mean, that just like JR Smith, these two perennial starters need to be feeling the heat as they’re being outplayed by members of the second unit.
Moving forward, the one question mark that has still left to be answered is who will be in Lue’s late-game rotation. Will Korver make the cut in order to widen the floor for LeBron James? Players like rookie Cedi Osman and struggling sharpshooter JR Smith may not see many of those clutch minutes.
Being the most important minutes of the game, it’s of utmost importance for Lue to nail down that lineup before the postseason begins.
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Along with Kevin Love returning in a couple weeks, Lue will have his hand’s full trying to nailing down this lineup, but one thing is almost certain, expect to continue to see Larry Nance Jr. late in the game.