How Okongwu could complement Nance very well for the Cleveland Cavaliers
Okongwu and Nance could give the Cavaliers a quality defensive pairing in the frontcourt for stretches, with both being fluid bigs that can hold up laterally if needed on the perimeter. And both could help pieces such as Darius Garland, Collin Sexton and Kevin Porter Jr. as rotators, too.
Also again, Okongwu could aid Cleveland as a rim protection presence, and Nance could cover up for him as a rotator following those situations with his quickness/awareness if that’s needed.
In addition, with Okongwu and Nance running the floor particularly well for bigs and both being great finishers/lob threats, that could allow the Cavs to get out and run more with that duo for stretches at the 5/4. In turn, that could make Sexton and Porter, for instance, more dangerous in the open floor even.
Lastly, in regards to settled offense, Okongwu and Nance are both willing and highly capable passers, and Nance could get offense going early-clock with feeds to Okongwu inside for post-ups, and the same could be vice-versa, with Nance’s improved post-up game. With both being capable straight-line drivers at least, they could occasionally deliver one another dump-offs inside as well, which could be a nice wrinkle for Cleveland in stretches.
With Nance hitting 35.2 percent of his 2.8 three-point attempts per contest last season as well, he could be a productive outlet for kickouts for Okongwu, too. That’s to go with players such as Dylan Windler, who is reportedly set to participate in team upcoming in-market bubble workouts, along with KPJ/others.
Moreover, an Okongwu/Nance pairing at the 5/4 for the Cleveland Cavaliers would provide a really athletic duo that would also aid the team in moving the ball at a high level, while helping the club’s defensive versatility and ability to get out and run.
That’d provide a nice change of pace with essentially exclusive interior presence on both ends, Andre Drummond, who is reportedly highly likely to pick up his $28.8 million player option next season, taking a breather here and there. And he could potentially be playing less against certain matchups.
Now, we’ll move on to how 2020 NBA Draft prospect Onyeka Okongwu could complement Love very well.