Hawks making a Larry Nance realization that the Cavaliers unfortunately know too well

Larry Nance continues to be an underrated player in the NBA.

His skillset is perfect for modern basketball. He is strong enough to play center but mobile enough to defend forwards, he shoots the ball from outside well enough to put him next to a non-shooting big or to unlock a five-out system, and he is a smart player who doesn't take anything off the table. He can pass, he can rebound, he can score, he can screen - every team needs a player like Larry Nance Jr.

The Cleveland Cavaliers knew that all too well, making him a regular part of their rotation for years after trading for him during LeBron James's final season in town. In 3.5 seasons with the Cavs he played 182 games and started 76 of them, averaging solid - not spectacular - numbers and putting up excellent advanced metrics despite playing for lottery teams for most of that time.

When you add in that Nance is the son of former Cleveland great Larry Nance Sr. you get a player beloved by fans and by the organization. In fact, he was so good and so loved you have to wonder why the team moved on from him.

The answer? A neverending cascade of nagging injuries.

Larry Nance cannot stay healthy

Larry Nance never missed an entire season due to a catastrophic injury, but he has never really played a full season, either. He is always missing a game here, a few games there, a month every so often to overcome a litany of injuries. It becomes difficult to reply on a player, to commit a salary and a spot in the rotation to someone who very often will not be in uniform.

The following is a list of the various injuries Nance has sustained over the course of his NBA career:

1. Fractured thumb
2. Illness
3. Left eye
4. Right hip pointer
5. Sore hamstring
6. Ankle (x4)
7. Knee (x5)
8. Chest
9. Thumb (x2)
10. Wrist (x2)
11. Finger
12. Shoulder
13. Achilles
14. Neck
15. Groin
16. Rib
17. Hand

Nance's body is uniquely gifted to play NBA basketball, but it is also uniquely susceptible to injury. Most players who are often injured either suffer significant injuries -- tearing a major ligament multiple times, for example -- or are continually dealing with the same issue. For Nance, it's everything - his entire body flashes red when you try to locate his injuries.

Nance's career high for games played in a season is 67, but only twice has he played fewer than 56 (35 and 46 games in back-to-back seasons as he left the Cavaliers). He's around but often not available. As such, teams trying to keep him in the rotation and on the court have managed his minutes; his career-high in minutes per game is 20.2.

That was a significant reason the Cavaliers moved on from Nance, and it has played a part in his journeys since then. He played for the Portland Trail Blazers for just 37 games before they flipped him to the New Orleans Pelicans, and he played more than two seasons there as a backup big.

Larry Nance is having an incredible season

Now Nance is in Atlanta, and the Hawks were unable to deny him a spot in the rotation as they understood the value he brings to the team when he is playing. He is having the best shooting season of his career, albeit in a small sample, hitting 65.9 percent of his 2-pointers and a shocking 52 percent of his 3-pointers this year.

When Nance has been on the court for the Hawks they have outscored opponents by 25 points per 100 possessions, one of the best marks in the league. That comes in part from an incendiary offense shooting the lights out; not only is Nance's hot shooting driving that, but the floor-spacing his presence provides allows his teammates to thrive as well.

Basketball analytics site BBall Index just posted its list of the most efficient scorers in the league. Leading the list this year? Larry Nance Jr.

Any way you slice it, Nance has been an incredible addition for the Hawks. Yet they are now facing the unfortunate reality that the Cavaliers learned years ago: Nance just can't stay healthy.

The veteran big is currently sidelined with a fractured hand that required surgery a couple of weeks ago. He is still a week out from being reevaluated again, and his return could be later than that. The Hawks played with fire with Nance, bumping him up to 20 minutes per game, the second-highest mark of his career and most in seven years.

Atlanta has to grapple with the realities of the situation. Do they want to keep Nance around and hope that he is healthy when the playoffs hit? Do they trade him instead -- the Cavaliers are among potential trade partners -- and wash their hands of the roller coaster? Will the offers be enough for Nance given that he may be sidelined until the Trade Deadline?

In an ideal world, Nance would be consistently healthy and able to maximize his own impact and earnings as a player. In an ideal world, the Hawks would know that they can rely on a highly-skilled stretch big that fits their roster extremely well.

Unfortunately, Larry Nance Jr. does not live in an ideal world, and all of his gifts come with a terrible curse. Play Nance and you are setting an invisible timer for him to get injured; don't play him, and know that you are missing out on the impact he brings.

The Hawks are coming to grips with this unfortunate reality, one the Cavaliers wish they were not so familiar with.