When the Cleveland Cavaliers acquired Larry Nance Jr. from the Los Angeles Lakers prior to this season’s trade deadline, there were few who knew the impact he would come to have. Ten games have passed since that fateful day, and Nance Jr. continues to impress. In fact, since joining his new team, the former 27th overall pick (2015) has doubled LeBron James’ plus-minus score.
With Tristan Thompson out of commission due to an ankle injury, Cavs head coach decided to go with Nance Jr. at center — a decision that has paid off in a big way.
In his 37 minutes of playing time against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night (his second start at center), Nance Jr. racked up 13 points on 6-10 shooting from the field, 13 rebounds, three assists, and four steals in a 113-108 road victory.
“A team like (the Nuggets), they can shoot,” Nance Jr. said during his post-game interview with FOX Sports Ohio’s Fred McLeod. “They threw their punches, but we stayed tough mentally and physically. And obviously, we had a pretty good player making some pretty big shots at the end.”
The “pretty good player” Nance Jr. referred to in his media availability is obviously James, who torched the Nuggets down the stretch on Wednesday night. In 39 minutes of action, the Kid from Akron scored 39 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and one steal. Nine of James’ points came in the closing stages of the fourth quarter.
Nance Jr. isn’t just a solid offensive player. He’s also an excellent defender.
“You guys had ten steals (against the Nuggets) and I think you had four,” a reporter said to Nance Jr. after Wednesday night’s game. “Did you notice that they were vulnerable somewhere, or were you just trying to be more aggressive?”
“Any time you play a team like (Denver), who has a big up top that likes to make passes, it’s always an area of importance to get your hands on deflections and loose balls,” Nance Jr. replied. “So yea, that was something I wanted to do coming into the game.”
In his first start with the Cavs — a 112-90 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night — Nance Jr. tallied 22 points, 15 rebounds, one assists and two steals in 32 minutes. Without a doubt, he’ll be looking to keep that momentum rolling going forward.
Nance Jr. and the Cavs will continue their six-game road trip with a matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday night. Tip-off inside the Staples Center is set for 10:30 p.m. EST with FOX Sports Ohio having live broadcast coverage.
