Cleveland Cavaliers: Larry Nance Jr. Has Been Worth His Contract
Has Larry Nance Jr. been worth the contract he was given the last off-season? The Cleveland Cavaliers big man had a promising season for the team. Although, he’s definitely got a lot to live up to. Not only for living up to his dad’s Cleveland legacy, but justifying his big payday.
Not too many players come into the NBA out of the University of Wyoming. As you can imagine, Nance didn’t have the fanfare of most during his college days. Going to Wyoming, he couldn’t get that National exposure. The NCAA Tournament was his coming out party. The Cavs hope he’ll once again have a coming out party. This time, though, it’s to lead Cleveland to a winning record.
There’s no shame in Nance’s style of play. He’s a grit-and-grind type player. When you put him in the game, there’s a guarantee he’ll fight for the ball on 50-50 chances, get aggressive on the glass, and play hard. Does he have superstar potential? No. Although, there’s still no reason to think he’s not worth the money.
Last season, Nance made $2 million. He was still under his rookie contract. Starting in 2019-20, the 6’9 forward will earn between $10 and $12 million depending on the year. This was a smart move by the Cleveland Cavaliers. The team got him on a favorable deal.
The amount Nance makes is desirable in today’s NBA. With contracts going through the roof, he’s still making an amount that’s best suited for his skill set. Tristan Thompson, Nance’s Cleveland teammate, might be on the higher end of the money spectrum for his skill set, was less deserving of his contract.
What does Nance contribute? He’s not the most gifted offensively, although, his defense and rebounding make up for that. Nance pulls down 8.2 rebounds per game, 2.5 of which are offensive. Like most of the NBA big men, Nance makes a damn difference. He was tied for 17th in
Nance ‘s o-reb puts him in some interesting company. He’s on par with the likes of Jonas Valanciunas, Jusuf Nurkic, Anthony Davis, and John Collins. All of these big men are better scorers than Nance. Their contracts (Collins still on a rookie deal) reflect that. There’s a reason Nance isn’t getting more than $12 million. He’s not offensively gifted enough to warrant that.
The Cleveland Cavaliers paid Larry Nance Jr. on potential. He’s worth the money but could be worth more if he was given more time. Nance didn’t get the most opportune minutes at certain points this season. If he can remain a consistent starter, perhaps he develops more of an offensive game.
In the end, Larry Nance Jr. is worth the contract he signed. All he needs is a bit more growth on the offensive side of the ball. Who knows if he’ll outperform the deal. As it stands, the Cavs and Nance should both be satisfied.
ImageSource: Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)
Daniel is a guru of baseball and basketball prospects. He’s a very experienced Amusement Park traveler as well. Follow him and his hot takes on Insta @dgentleman9288
