LeBron James has once again taken the mantle of mentor with the four new additions to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ roster over this season’s trade deadline.
As George Hill, Rodney Hood, Jordan Clarkson, and Larry Nance Jr. get acquainted with a new system, it is James who is providing the feedback, quarterbacking everyone involved at both ends of the floor.
“It’s hard to miss a defensive coverage when you’ve got somebody behind you yelling it for you,” Nance said of James, according to ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “He sees everything on the court, offensively and defensively. Offensively he can tell where to go, no matter what position. So he’s been integral to my joining the team, but he’s not probably the best player of this era. He is.”
Nance has shown his acumen for the defensive end during both of his games in a Cavs uniform, getting a steal in each and most recently tying a season-high three blocks against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Cavs now head into the All-Star break with four wins in a row, and despite still sitting five games away from the Boston Celtics, and six games away from the leader Toronto Raptors, there’s still plenty of hope moving forward with another week off for line up adjustments with this younger core.
James, despite being a pillar of this year’s All-Star Game and weekend celebrations, will likely devote time to work with Nance and the other new Cavs, getting them up to speed in hopes to make a run at the first seed in the Eastern Conference.