Cleveland Cavaliers: More Larry Nance, less Tristan Thompson
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. could be in store for more crunch-time minutes over Tristan Thompson.
Larry Nance Jr. was doing his best Tristan Thompson impression during the Cleveland Cavaliers victory over the Thunder Tuesday night, while the former No. 4 overall draft pick sat on the bench.
Thompson started the game and played 23 minutes. Nance finished it and played 25.
Cavs fans fell in love with Thompson during the team’s run to the 2014-2015 Finals as Thompson established himself as an offensive rebounding maven.
But his game has lost some of the polish fans became accustomed to. Thompson is averaging 2.1 offensive boards per game–the lowest of his career and 1.2 off his career average.
After fans were begging Dan Gilbert to make Thompson, who really had just one elite skill, a mega multi-millionaire just a year-and-a-half ago, Cavaliers Country couldn’t leave him out of their trade-machine scenarios in an effort to unload his massive contract.
Somehow, Cavaliers’ GM Koby Altman did the unthinkable, and reshaped the roster and got Nance, as well as Jordan Clarkson from the Lakers. Yeah, it cost a first-round pick which is going to be in the mid-20s, but the trade looks worth it.
Nance, who collected eight offensive rebounds in just his second game in a Cavs’ uniform, looks quicker and more energized than Thompson as this point and Lue would’ve been crazy to take LNance Jr. out of the game in the fourth quarter.
Offensively, Nance is a pick-and-roll pleasure. After he sets a screen, he makes a hard cut to the basket. You can see why he leads the NBA in slam dunks. And while we all love to see him jam, perhaps the best part of the skillset is what he does for shooters on the perimeter.
When picking and rolling, defenses have to be pay attention to the guy with the ball (LeBron James), in addition the soon-to-be-cutting Nance. That leaves J.R. Smith, Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood or Kyle Korver open for 3, and they’re cashing in more often than Philly fans who bet the Eagles at the Super Bowl.
The Cavs were +14 with Nance on the floor against the Thunder.
Coach Ty Lue praised Nance’s energy following the game. He also addressed Thompson and how the power forward may feel about not being in the game during the final minutes, via The Athletic.
"“Tristan (Thompson) is happy for Larry. That’s the biggest thing. You have to sacrifice. With our team that we have, whoever is playing well is going to finish the game.”"
All is well when you’re winning, but this will be an interesting storyline to watch the rest of the season.
As The Athletic’s Zac Jackson noted, Cavs’ fans can already envision having Nance’s athleticism in the lineup should a fourth date be awaiting Cleveland in The Finals.
"“This is getting way, way ahead, but it’s easy to envision Nance in a closer’s role against a certain team the Cavs have played in the Finals before,’ Jackson wrote."
Nance will compete in the All-Star Slam Dunk competition in LA. Despite being traded to the Cavs last week, he won’t actually step foot in Cleveland until Monday.
Next: NBA mock draft has Trae Young to the Cavs at No. 7
Nance can be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2019. Thompson is under contract through 2020. He’s making $16.4 million this summer and is owed about $36 million over the next two seasons, according to Sportrac.