Cavaliers: 3 positive trends for Larry Nance Jr. moving forward

An improved post game

At this juncture, it’s clear that Nance is always going to be an active roller/cutter and screener both on/off ball, and it was great to see him utilized by Bickerstaff more as a secondary playmaker post-All-Star break. Nance had 3.2 assists per game in that span, and on the season leading up to the NBA’s suspension, Nance was on track for a career-high with 10.1 points per game.

Part of the reason for Jr.’s scoring uptick was again, his improvement from deep, but what is perhaps the biggest positive trend for Nance moving forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers is his improved post game.

Throughout this season and in the past few months, in particular, Nance has shown more willingness to operate in the mid-post area, and he’s demonstrated some ability to hit occasional hooks/push shots after calculated moves to get to favorable position, which has opened up quick baseline drives initially out of post-ups from time to time.

Additionally, he’s also displayed the ability to hit post fadeaways in the lane, which he’s been able to get often clean looks at, as you can see here against the Chicago Bulls’ Wendell Carter Jr. near the 12-second mark of this clip.

Plus, when Nance is in at the 3 in some instances for the Cleveland Cavaliers, he typically has a less physical matchup on him on the offensive end, and Nance’s early low-post seals in transition and/or in settled offense have led to quality offense.

Overall, while I understand a frequency of 7.9 percent is fairly low, up until the league’s suspension, Nance had placed in the 92nd percentile as a post-up scorer, according to Synergy Sports. Previously, you wouldn’t see him have nearly as much patience as a post-up threat, and it’s been really good to see him continue to show willingness to go to that from time to time, and I’d hope we see more of it.

Along with that, with Nance’s vision and impressive passing feel for a big man, with his improved post feel as a scorer, that should open up some clear passing lanes for him, and if/when help does come, Nance is more than capable of hitting open cutters, such as Sexton or Cedi Osman.

Anyhow, moving forward, with the way Nance has continued to get better in a variety of ways for the Cleveland Cavaliers, whether or not the NBA season ends up finishing out in regards to concerns involving the novel coronavirus, it’s been fantastic to see Jr. progress more and more. The 27-year-old is trending up, and is an integral part of the Cavs’ future.

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