Larry Nance Jr. making most of increased playing time

Larry Nance Jr.’s playing time has increased as time has gone on and most notably over the past five games. The Cavaliers center has played the most minutes of any player on the team over that span (32.6 minutes per game). While Cleveland only won two of five contests it is encouraging to see Nance grow as a player.

Over the last five games Nance is averaging just over 11 rebounds per game, 8.2 defensive and three offensive. Nance’s 56 total rebounds is more than double of Alec Burks (27), the second-highest total on the team. For reference these numbers from Nance are higher than his season totals of 7.4, 5.4 and 2 respectively. 

Nance is averaging 9.8 points per game during this recent run. While not overly impressive, it is a solid contribution and has Nance nearly averaging a double-double over the last five games. The most impressive basket was the tip in game winner against Indiana on Tuesday. Nance did his best Tristan Thompson impression on this basket and sealed a Cavaliers victory.

The most surprising stat from Larry Nance Jr. 

First things first, Larry Nance Jr. is not known for racking up assists. This season Nance is only averaging 3.2 assists per game. While this is a career-high, it is a relatively low number considering other player’s totals in across the league.

During this stretch Nance is averaging 6.4 assists per game, double his season total. Nance’s total of 32 is 13 higher than second place Matthew Dellavedova (19). It is worth nothing that Dellavedova has played one less game than Nance and several others on the Cavaliers roster.

Nance’s current 6.4 assists per game is five more than his career average of 1.4. While this average will surely drop over the remainder of the season, it is nice to know that if needed Nance can set his teammates up with good shot opportunities in a relatively high volume.