Larry Nance Jr. is feeling a whole lot better in relation to his chest contusion, and based on a recent report, seems very close to returning for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Larry Nance Jr. reportedly suffered a chest contusion in a March 8 loss to the Miami Heat, and it’s kept him out of the Cleveland Cavaliers’ last five games. Not having Nance in there has made things tougher for Cleveland’s frontcourt on both ends, although Marquese Chriss has gotten some more playing time at least.
After Nance spoke with the media today, though, it appears that he’s very close to returning, which should help Cleveland’s defensive communication and rebounding, as Chriss often looks confused off-ball defensively and is too sped-up with the ball in his hands on the offensive end.
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Nance was apparently nearing his return over the weekend against the Dallas Mavericks, but (due to the chest bruise), it was difficult for him to do everyday things.
Nance said (per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor), that trainer Steve Spiro “saw me sneeze,” and that was ultimately the tell tale sign for Spiro with Nance, because there was a lot of “pain still involved with that, so he decided to sit me out.”
From there, Fedor noted that Nance isn’t “entirely pain free,” but Nance is “good enough to play” tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks.
After going through shootaround, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ improving big man said (per Fedor) that he felt “great.”
However, (again, per Fedor), Nance emphasized to the media that it’s ultimately up to Spiro if he plays tonight against the Bucks.
Given that the Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t primarily focused on winning right now, though, I would be anything but surprised if Nance is out again. Currently, he is listed as questionable, according to a team report.
There’s no need to rush him back, anyhow. As a side note, Tristan Thompson reportedly could be nearing his return for Cleveland, too, and per the team report, is listed as questionable with left foot soreness.
On the season, Nance is averaging 9.1 points on 55.3 percent effective field goal shooting, to go with 7.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 26.1 minutes per game. Throughout the season, he has shown he could definitely be a key piece in Cleveland’s rotation for years to come and seems to be an emerging leader as well.