If Cleveland Cavaliers big man Larry Nance Jr. has been anything over the course of his time in the NBA, it’s versatile. Nance, a first-round pick back in the 2015 NBA Draft, has bounced around between playing the power forward and center positions in the league and brings value in multiple facets of the game.
According to Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, Nance’s positional versatility is part of what led to the team signing him this offseason. Fedor revealed that the Cavs signed him with the vision that he could play with center Jarrett Allen, power forward Evan Mobley or without both big men.
“Part of the reason why the Cavs signed Larry is because they believed — and we’ll see about this,” Fedor said. “I think it has to play itself out. But they believe that Larry could play without both bigs, or he could play with Jarrett, or he could play with Evan.”
At least on paper, Nance has the wherewithal to give Cleveland solid minutes whether he’s next to Mobley, Allen or neither of them. It would be worthwhile for the Cavaliers to test all of those frontcourt lineups in the coming season at one point or another.
A smaller lineup with Nance as the biggest Cav on the floor is an intriguing thought and could give opposing teams trouble with how many shooters would likely be out there for Cleveland. A group like that would also give Mobley and Allen some rest. For any Cavaliers fans who aren’t aware, Nance has worked himself into a legitimate 3-point threat. He’s found nylon on 43.3 percent of his 3-point attempts across the last two seasons.
But considering Nance is a bit undersized for the center position at 6-foot-8, maybe he will be at his most effective alongside a natural center such as Allen. Such a frontcourt duo would make sure the Cavaliers wouldn’t have to worry as much about a lack of size.
Not only that, but Nance sticks out as an ideal frontcourt partner with Allen because of their contrasting play styles on offense. While Nance’s most valuable offensive skill might be his floor spacing prowess, Allen makes his hay scoring at the rim. Nance should be able to open up space for Allen this way.
Still, if the Cavs ultimately want Nance to be a guy who can sub in for Mobley and/or Allen at times, he will have to get comfortable playing with a number of different units.
