Cleveland Cavaliers: The advanced numbers that improve the team
By Ryan Piers
Larry Nance Jr.
We talked about Nance’s high-flying capabilities when dissecting what each of the new additions brings to Cleveland. But we only briefly touched on his most valuable commodity — his efficiency in the paint.
In Los Angeles, Nance shot 76.2 percent on field goals less than three feat from the hoop. He was a nearly perfect finisher in the paint, where he shot just a hair under 60 percent of his shots.
In other words, he did a lot of this:
Cleveland didn’t have a consistent finisher, someone who could smash the rim following a dime from James. Under three feet, Tristan Thompson is just 63.4 percent for his career. Love is at 59.7. Cleveland craved a dynamic paint player. Even at just 6’9”, Nance provides a punctuator, someone who is reliable as a scoring option around the rim.
Cleveland targeted Jordan, but didn’t have the pieces to finalize the deal. Blake Griffin’s name was even tossed around. At the end of the day, Altman and the Cavs utilized advanced (or at the very least non-traditional) statistics to land a guy that will change the team by providing a reliable option in the paint.