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Keeper Cav: Larry Nance Jr.?

By Doug Patrick

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 17: Larry Nance Jr. #24 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dunks the ball during the Verizon Slam Dunk Contest during State Farm All-Star Saturday Night as part of the 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend on February 17, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 17: Larry Nance Jr. #24 of the Cleveland Cavaliers dunks the ball during the Verizon Slam Dunk Contest during State Farm All-Star Saturday Night as part of the 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend on February 17, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Keeper Cav, noun: Player the Cleveland Cavaliers should hold onto through next season.

Used in a sentence: “Is Larry Nance Jr. a Keeper Cav?”

The 25-year-old forward and Ohio native, Larry Nance Jr. just finished his third season, winding up with the Cleveland Cavaliers — his second team — by season’s end.

On February 8th, the Los Angeles Lakers dealt Nance and Jordan Clarkson to Cleveland in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye, and what became the 25th pick in this year’s draft. For the season, he averaged 8.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in about 21 minutes per game.

Nance was brought to Cleveland for his versatility, high energy, and rebounding.

At six-foot-nine and 230 pounds, Nance can play both the power forward and center positions. This versatility is valuable to a Cavs offense that likes to play Love at the five and a defense that preferred switch-heavy schemes in the playoffs.

This switch-ability is also due to Nance’s high work-rate and elite athleticism. Prior to the trade deadline, the Cavs looked like an old team, huffing and puffing their way through the season with the likes of Dywane Wade and Derrick Rose. With Nance, Cleveland had more hustle plays, threw more alley-oops, and the Q rumbled whenever he attacked the rim.

Upon Nance’s arrival in Cleveland, he was the Lakers’ leading offensive rebounder at 2.6. After the trade, this number dipped to 2.2 but was still good enough to rank as Cleveland’s second best on the offensive glass (Thompson: 2.4; Love: 1.7). In total rebounds, he ranked third on the team behind Love (9.3) and LeBron (8.6).

Nance isn’t always praised for his rebounding although his average has steadily improved since entering the league. He seems perfectly built to be a dominant rebounder in the NBA, especially with his incredible leaping ability.

However, it should be mentioned that Nance’s rebounding waned in his first playoff stint, cratering to only 4.5 per game. He was later dropped out of the rotation in the Eastern Semi-Finals against the Raptors for Tristan Thompson who proved a better rebounding option.

Nance did shoot notable percentages in both the regular season (58%) and the playoffs (68%) but almost all of his baskets come from within the restricted area. About 60% of Nance’s 474 shots this whole season were classified as “at the rim” by basketball-reference. He is reluctant to shoot from three or more feet out.

Funnily enough, he shot his second best percentage from the 16 foot to three-point arc range: 41.5% on 65 attempts. This efficiency and number of attempts trumps his 10 to 16 foot range: 35.7% on 42 attempts.

These inconsistencies likely point to a confidence and/or trust issue with his shooting stroke. During the regular season, 43.2% of Nance’s shots came from the midrange. In the playoffs, the number shrinks to 26.6%. The offense does not look to involve Nance from any amount of distance. Because of this, he clogged the lane in the playoffs and was unplayable alongside Tristan Thompson.

Non-shooting bigs have become less and less valuable, so Nance pushing to add the midrange jumper to his game could prove paramount. As it stands, Nance and Thompson play nearly duplicate roles. But there’s something about Nance’s shot that seems a safer bet and more likely possibility to develop than Thompson’s ever did—maybe it’s the fact Nance hasn’t switched shooting hands mid-career.

In any case, if teams are forced to guard Nance from further out, the Cavs offense will have more space and his cuts will become all the more lethal. He’d have more reason to stay out on the court even when he’s not rebounding well.

As it happens, the Cavaliers have already expressed interest in extending the promising forward’s rookie-scale contract. Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com said the organization views him as a “foundational piece.” By expressing interest in the blooming rebounder with potential to grow offensively, the team and I seem to agree.

Larry Nance Jr. is a Keeper Cav.

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*All stats compiled from basketball-reference.com.