Hoops Habit
Fansided

Cleveland Cavaliers: 4 goals following 2019 NBA All-Star break

By Ryan Piers

CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 13: Collin Sexton #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates after scoring during the second overtime against the Brooklyn Nets at Quicken Loans Arena on February 13, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Nets defeated the Cavaliers 148-139 in three overtimes. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - FEBRUARY 13: Collin Sexton #2 of the Cleveland Cavaliers celebrates after scoring during the second overtime against the Brooklyn Nets at Quicken Loans Arena on February 13, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Nets defeated the Cavaliers 148-139 in three overtimes. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
NBA Power Rankings
Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images /

3. Develop young talent

Maybe most obviously, Cleveland strives to continue developing its young talent. Rebuilding teams face two primary challenges: identify which players don’t belong in your team’s future plans, and develop the ones that do.

Cleveland checked off box one in the season’s first half, trading Hood and flipping Alec Burks for some pretty nice draft capital. The Cavs also shipped off Sam Dekker. With more clarity, they’re trying to fill out the roster alongside Collin Sexton, Kevin Love and Osman.

Nance hopes to build on his momentum from the season’s first half, where he notched a double-double in six of his last seven games. Below are two stat lines — one is Nance, and the other is a mystery player.

  • Player A: 9.1 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 3.0 APG, 51.0 FG%
  • Player B: 7.0 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 7.3 APG, 42.4 FG%

From those stat lines, which player would you rather have on your team? The top one is Larry Nance Jr. The bottom is Draymond Green. Granted, Green is a much better defender, but Nance’s solid season is flying under the radar a bit.

If he continues to develop, the Cavs have the making of a formidable young core. Then there is Jordan Clarkson, whose Jordan Crawford-like 17.2 points per game on a 51 effective field goal percentage off the bench shouldn’t be overlooked. He closed out the second half with a 42-point performance. Maybe something is brewing in C-Town.

Home/Cleveland Cavaliers