Player Profile: Larry Nance Jr.
The Cavs made a gigantic splash in today’s NBA Trade Deadline and made moves that almost no one was expecting them to make. The first big deal of the day the Cavs sent Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and their 2018 1st Round Pick (not the Brooklyn pick) to the Lakers for Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. Nance Jr. now heads to Cleveland to play for his father’s former team and here is what he can bring to the new-look Cavs.
Lakers sending Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance to the Cavaliers, league source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 8, 2018
Nance Jr. has been a dunking machine since coming into the NBA in 2015. He is one of the most athletic bigs currently in the NBA right now and has put numerous other players on a poster since he started playing for the Lakers. Nance Jr. will help to bring energy and athleticism that the Cavs were heavily lacking.
Nance Jr. has continued to get better over his three seasons in the NBA and is currently having the best of his career. He is averaging 8.6 points per game on 60% shooting and 6.8 rebounds per game. Nance Jr. was never able to find a lot of playing time on a Lakers team that also had Julius Randle, but he was able to make the most of the time he got and continued to improve his game.
Nance Jr. now gets to play on the same team as his father and his hometown team as he was born and raised in Akron, Ohio. Many Cavs fans, myself included, were upset over the loss of Channing Frye in this deal and rightfully so. Frye had been one of the best locker room guys for the Cavs since coming here, but now Nance will be able to fill his role as a younger more athletic version. What Nance Jr. brings to the Cavs fans should be very excited about.
The NBA Trade Deadline is one of the craziest days of the year, especially when your team is at the forefront of all the moves. The Cavs needed to do something do and they absolutely did. So welcome to Cleveland, Larry Nance Jr. on behalf of all Cavs fans, we’re all excited to make some great memories with you like so many of us did with your father back in the day.
Follow the author: @DanLukas12
