After Perfect Game 6, Welcome to the Larry Nance Jr. Hype Train

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When the Cleveland Cavaliers rebooted their squad in early February, Larry Nance Jr. seemed like the best fit among the newbies. Watching him put up a 13-point, nine-rebound performance against OKC in his second game just about confirmed it for me. He brought a whirlwind of energy and defense that Cleveland desperately lacked, and also didn’t require the ball in his hands. Eventually, after averaging 11.6 points and 7.9 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per game, he missed a full week in mid-March and upon return, didn’t get as much burn from Tyronn Lue. In the 11 games remaining after his return, he was on a minutes restriction and saw his numbers take a severe dip — 5.6 ppg; 5.9 rpg.

Once the playoffs started, he got a lot of run in the first round against Indiana but his efforts were cancelled out by the Pacers’ big, always-hustling lineup. Tristan Thompson, the Cavaliers other rebounding specialist, had a super performance in Cleveland’s Game 7 win which essentially cut Nance Jr.’s playing time to nothing. During the team’s four-game sweep of the Raptors, Nance Jr. played only seven minutes total. It stayed this way during the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, too, until Lue realized how sluggish his team was playing. Larry Nance Jr. finally got back into crunch-time minutes during Cleveland’s Game 3 victory and he’s been playing a bunch ever since — and playing well.

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On Friday, the reintroduction of Larry Nance Jr. hit its fever pitch during the Cavaliers’ 109-99 win in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. He played 22 minutes — the most since logging 24 minutes in Game 2 of the first round — and went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field. The most impressive thing, however, was that Lue trusted him during the most important stretches in the game (rather than Tristan Thompson). Coincidentally, Nance Jr. seemed to have a growing chemistry with LeBron James, the same kind that makes Tristan valuable. But Nance Jr. plays harder more often than Thompson and also finishes around the rim more efficiently. Plus, he’s just flat-out younger with fresher legs.

I hope you watch that whole video (above) and see the JUMP SHOT that Nance Jr. buried. I love watching him play, but that’s definitely not something he’s known for.

Additionally, Larry Nance Jr. played tough defense on Al Horford, a guy who is largely thought of as Boston’s best player. Horford went just 2-for-8 with six points.

In the four games since the Wyoming product re-emerged in Tyronn Lue’s rotation, the Cavaliers have gone 3-1 and Nance Jr. hasn’t missed a shot from the floor (11-for-11).

Proving his energy and nose for the ball, he’s combined for at least two steals or blocked shots in all four games:

Game 3: 3 steals
Game 4: 1 steal, 2 blocks
Game 5: 4 blocks
Game 6: 2 steals

Larry Nance Jr.’s game log for the entire season and postseason

Maybe this resurgence is because his hamstring is back to 100 percent. Or maybe, LeBron is rubbing off on him and he’s getting the hang of playoff basketball. Whatever it is, Larry Nance Jr. will be a star in this league. Not so much as a scorer, but at some point he’ll make an NBA All-Defensive team or lead the league in rebounding.

Although the seats are filling up with each hard-nosed performance on national TV, you can still buy low on Larry Nance Jr. and be one of the people to say “I told you so” down the road.

CATEGORY: NBA