Larry Nance Jr. and Dylan Windler appear to have the look of what should be a pairing that will develop really good chemistry playing together on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Larry Nance Jr. is one of the best playmakers on the Cleveland Cavaliers, even as a big, and he’ll continue to be in the coming years, and his unselfishness makes him someone likely all kinds of players love to be on the floor with.
We’ve touched on how Jordan Clarkson and Nance play off each other really well a number of times here at KJG, and especially our own Robbie DiPaola.
Clarkson is currently still on the roster, and he really had a career year in 2018-19 for Cleveland’s bench unit, as he averaged 16.8 points per game on 50.9% effective field goal shooting (per Basketball Reference).
Clearly, Clarkson and Nance have well-established chemistry, as evidenced by Nance having the second-most assists to Clarkson of JC’s teammates on Cleveland last season (per NBA.com), and overall, Nance had the second-highest assist rate (17.9%) of regular rotation Cavaliers in 2018-19 (again, per NBA.com).
Given how Clarkson could be a solid trade piece for the Cavaliers I would imagine near the 2020 trade deadline as an expiring contract bench scorer, though, I would think that Nance will need to further develop chemistry throughout next season with other bench contributors.
Matthew Dellavedova and Nance have good chemistry, too, and though Delly is on an expiring contract as well, I still believe, due to his solid defense on the perimeter when healthy, combined with his passing vision and ability, that he’s someone that the Cavaliers should try to bring back after next year, or maybe even extend this offseason for a few years.
More from King James Gospel
- 3 possible starting lineups for Cleveland Cavaliers in 2023-24
- The Cavaliers may have snagged a hidden gem in Craig Porter Jr.
- 4 players the Cavaliers should pursue in 2024 free agency
- 6 players Cavaliers might replace Jarrett Allen with by the trade deadline
- This stat is one to keep an eye on for Cavaliers’ Max Strus in years ahead
So in regards to another bench contributor next year and in the near future that could have great chemistry with Nance (a big that is a very capable secondary playmaker), I look mostly toward Dylan Windler, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 26th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Windler, as we’ve referenced, is a 6-foot-seven-and-a-half (per Tankathon) silky smooth shooting lefty wing that shot 40.6% from three-point range in his four-year career at Belmont.
While I’m not saying he’ll be nearly the sharpshooter Kyle Korver was in his outstanding NBA career, Windler, like Korver, I believe will mesh really, really well with Nance for Cleveland off the bench.
Dribble hand-offs are a big strong-suit of Nance’s game, as his timing with them, especially with good perimeter shooters, is outstanding, I believe DHO’s should be a key focal point for John Beilein‘s bench in the coming years due to Nance’s feel for those plays.
So enter Windler.
He’s a player that the Cleveland Cavaliers should be able to maximize predominantly as an off-ball piece in the near future that should be able to light it up from the perimeter firing off stagger screens, for instance, shoot from the corner after kickouts from Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Cedi Osman, Kevin Porter Jr. or Delly, and given defenses overplaying him, get plenty of back-door cuts as well.
With Nance’s passing vision, too, that should lead to easy opportunities regularly for Windler. The Belmont product has shown the ability to time cuts well and in Beilein’s offense predicated on spacing for primary ball-handlers and shooters, he’s a seamless fit.
Additionally, the aforementioned Nance DHO’s should be a way to consistently get quality looks for Windler, and due to his quality feel and willingness as a passer, Windler should be able to find Nance for dump-off rolls to the rim when defenses over-commit, as was the case on occasion when Nance was doing them with Korver.
This should be the case even more so and more spacing should open up off-ball when Kevin Love is on the floor with Nance and Windler, too, as Love’s inside-out scoring threat makes those around him better (as we’ve mentioned countless times).
So again, is Windler going to be Korver, who shot 42.9% from three-point range for his career and has the fourth-most made three-pointers in NBA history (per Basketball Reference)?
I would say probably not, but Windler should make others around him better by having gravity as a sniper in his career.
Again, him and Nance should play off each other very effectively in the coming years, given how Windler moves off the ball well, has really deep range, and Nance, a good screener, roller/lob threat and great passer, has shown he fits alongside perimeter shooters particularly well in his career due to his excellent timing with DHO’s and knowing how to playmake to hit shooters precisely when they curl.
Along with that potential halfcourt offensive prowess, Nance, a superior athlete that excels in transition as a finisher/lob threat, should benefit as a run-out threat from Windler’s defensive rebounding acumen and solid feel as a passer.
Windler averaged 7.8 rebounds per game for his career at Belmont, and he led the Ohio Valley Conference in total rebounds the last two seasons (per Sports Reference).
Furthermore, the Nance-Windler pairing is one I’m really looking forward to watching in the near future.