Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 Players set for breakout seasons in 2019-20

3. Larry Nance Jr.

In a shocking twist of events, Larry Nance Jr. proved to be more than just a fan favorite. For a brief moment, Nance displayed an array of skills that can be very valuable to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Before being traded to Cleveland, Nance was mostly used as an athletic center to fill up space for the Los Angeles Lakers. He was never given the ball that frequently and was minimized to a few highlight dunks and alley-oops.

His role didn’t change when he first joined the Cavaliers, as LeBron James was carrying the franchise to its fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. Finding time to assimilate Nance into the offense wasn’t exactly a priority.

With James was gone last year, the Cavs had all the time in the world to experiment with Nance. Once he finally became comfortable in his role, Nance blossomed into a very solid player. A few injuries disrupted his rhythm, but he had three stretches in which his production reached a peak.

Nance’s hot streaks:

• Dec 12-21 (six games): 10.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.2 steals, 1.3 blocks
• Jan 29 – Feb 13 (seven games): 12.0 points, 13.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists
• Mar 28 – Apr 9 (seven games): 10.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.9 steals

Each one of these runs was shortly followed by an injury, causing him to lose steam. However, he bounced back with a string of impactful games after every injury. By the end of the season, Nance totaled 18 double-doubles.

This sample size may be small, but it shows us how valuable Nance could one day become. His size and athleticism make him a great rebounder while his passing ability helps open up the floor for the rest of his team.

Combine this with the fact that he knocked down a career-high 98 total 3-pointers on 33.7 percent shooting and he has some real potential to have a break-out season. If he improves just a bit from outside and can remain consistent as a rebounder/playmaker, Nance will bloom into a serious threat.