Copyright CBS Sports
During the Cleveland Cavaliers' season opener at Madison Square Garden, guard Lonzo Ball hit big man Larry Nance Jr. with a perfectly placed lob pass. Nance threw it down, punctuating a 10-0 Cavs run and prompting sidelined star Darius Garland to rise from his seat and let out a scream that was clearly audible on the ESPN broadcast. The play took place eight years to the day after the first time that Nance threw down an alley-oop dunk from Ball. That one took place at the arena then known as Staples Center. Ball was a rookie, having been drafted No. 2 by the Los Angeles Lakers and dubbed, at 19, the "new face of the franchise" by then–team president Magic Johnson. Nance was in his third season, still trying to establish himself with the Lakers, unaware that they'd trade him a few months later. Ball said it's a blessing to be reunited. Nance might not quite have the same bounce as he did in L.A. -- the 2017 version would have finished that opening-night alley-oop harder, Ball said -- but, after knee problems that sidelined Ball for more than two full seasons and required him to get a meniscus and cartilage transplant, neither does he. Now veterans, Cleveland's two biggest offseason additions are quickly getting acclimated to their new situation, and Nance (an Akron native on his second stint with the team) has made the transition easier for Ball (who made headlines on media day when he said, "I keep joking with the guys, I didn't even know Cleveland had water"). The Cavs, 3-1 heading into Wednesday's game against the Boston Celtics, are counting on them to supercharge their second unit and help them take the next step. "It's like a full-circle moment," Ball said. "He's seen me when I was getting my feet wet in the league, when I first came in. To be able to connect with him now, eight years later, it's definitely a different feeling, but we're both here for the same reason." At the end of the 2024-25 season, Cavaliers president Koby Altman concluded that they needed to improve on the margins. They had a ton of talent, but, in his view, needed more mental toughness. In their second-round series against the Indiana Pacers, they didn't look like the same team that had won 64 games during the regular season. This was partially because of several simultaneous injuries, but health wasn't the whole story. Indiana slowed the Cavs down, curtailed their ball movement and wore them out. Cleveland had issues with inbounding the ball and bringing it up against the Pacers' full-court pressure, and it gave up two offensive rebounds on missed free throws in crunch time of Game 2. "They made those winning plays at the end," Altman told reporters in May. The front office didn't move any of the team's starters in the summer. The closest thing to a blockbuster was the trade that sent wing Isaac Okoro to the Chicago Bulls for Ball. Nance signed in free agency on a minimum contract. Both specialize in making winning plays. Ball will likely not score at the rate that Ty Jerome (who signed with Memphis as a free agent) did last season, but he'll guard multiple positions, push the pace and create easy looks for his teammates. Nance is switchable, too, and is comfortable rolling, spacing and operating out of the dunker spot. More than most guards, Ball has a knack for coming up with offensive rebounds. More than most bigs, Nance is a threat to make plays off the dribble when he catches the ball with an advantage. "We have guys that can put up 30 on any given night," Nance said. "Let them be them. I think it was great that we brought in the kind of guys in me and Zo that want to help them be them and do all the other things to support that. I think we do a good job of just magnifying what our best players do well." Ball has been one of the NBA's premier passers since his Lakers days. Nance said not only that he loves playing with Ball, but that "everybody in the league would." There is, however, a bit of an adjustment period. He is a daring passer, unafraid to zip a bounce pass through traffic or fire off a full-court, one-handed outlet. "He sees you're open almost before you do," Nance said. Against the Knicks, as Evan Mobley came up to set a screen for him on the right side of the floor, Ball swung the ball to Dean Wade on the opposite wing. It wasn't even a flashy pass, but Wade wasn't anticipating it and the ball went out of bounds. "I turned and looked to see who's in my corner, and I turned back and the ball was already right to me," Wade said. "So definitely count that turnover as mine instead of his. You always have to have your head on a swivel. You gotta know what the spacing of the floor looks like 'cause he'll just throw it. If the spacing's right, he'll throw you open." Ball does not agree that Wade should have been assessed the turnover, and he's used to the occasional mixup. "I throw passes that I feel can get through," Ball said. "Not everybody will probably see it that way, but that's how I feel. So sometimes it's a turnover, but most of the time I feel like it's the right play. I live with the results." In the preseason against the Detroit Pistons, Ball threw the ball away in an ambitious attempt to find an easy two points after a made free throw. After one Brooklyn Nets basket at Barclays Center last Friday, he created an open layup for Mobley with 22 on the shot clock. In training camp, Cavs rookie Tyrese Proctor watched Ball intently. "How quickly his eyes get up the court as soon as he gets the ball is a big thing I noticed," Proctor said. Cleveland was an extremely efficient transition team in 2024-25, but it was only 22nd in transition frequency, according to Cleaning The Glass. "When he checks in the game, he completely changes the tempo of the game," Wade said. Donovan Mitchell said Ball's presence gives them "a different dynamic" and will make them "a lot more unpredictable." Nance is far less likely to throw you a pass that gets you on "SportsCenter," but is a beloved teammate nonetheless. "He just wants to help the team, and he don't care if he's scoring, not scoring. Really, just, whatever the coach wants him to do, he's there to do, and we appreciate him for that." A big man who can function as a connector, Nance was a natural target for a team whose offense is based on movement, timely cutting and, above all, making quick reads. Against the Nets, he grabbed a rebound, brought the ball up, flowed into a handoff, rolled into open space and got a dunk out of it. "As a backup big, he's amazing," Wade said. "The way he plays fits us perfectly." Long before he ever played for the team, Nance was a Cavs fan. His father's jersey is in the rafters. Even after he became a pro, he never stopped rooting for them. Watching them against the Pacers -- and in the playoffs in previous years -- he couldn't help but think about how he could help. If they did go get another big, surely they'd look for someone who could move his feet on the perimeter and knock down open 3s. "He has great feet, great hands," Wade said. "He can guard everyone. He's strong, he's athletic. Good rim protector, great rebounder. He spaces well for all our guards to attack. He's physical, he's strong, he can rebound. So he helps us a bunch." Pregame at Barclays Center, Nance approached his locker and overheard Proctor praising his vocal leadership. "I'll get my ass out of here," he announced. As he walked away, Proctor asked him how many seasons he'd been in the league. "Seventeen of 'em," the 11-year vet said, exaggerating. Perhaps he was feeling his age because, earlier that day, second-year wing Jaylon Tyson had expressed a particular kind of admiration. "He's a great dude, great leader, great basketball player, great overall dude, and I told him today I got a new profound respect for dudes that play a long time in this league 'cause this league is a monster," Tyson said. "I just told him I respect him for that and I respect who he is as a person and as a player." Early this season, the Cavs are figuring out how to use their new pieces. There is "a lot more to discover with this team," coach Kenny Atkinson said. The staff is looking at how both Nance and Ball play next to Mobley versus how they play next to Jarrett Allen. It's considering whether it should find minutes for Nance at the 5 and who should initiate offense when Ball's on the court with second-year guard Craig Porter Jr. The rotation has been funky so far -- Garland and Max Strus haven't played yet, De'Andre Hunter missed the first two games and Ball missed Monday's win in Detroit for injury management -- but you can already see all sorts of possibilities. "I think the main word is 'versatility,'" Nance said. Defensively, being able to bring Ball, Nance and Wade (and Hunter, if Strus eventually reclaims his starting spot) off the bench is an enormous luxury. "Look, whatever kind of questions the offense has to pose to us, we have an answer for 'em," Nance said. Wade, who has been in Cleveland since 2019, said this is the deepest team he's ever played on. Mobley said the same, adding, "When everyone gets back, it's going to be scary." Looking back at his time with Ball in Los Angeles, Nance laughed at the fact it was almost a decade ago. "It's crazy," he said. In some ways, not much has changed: he and Ball were both unselfish, high-IQ players back then, too. That season, though, Nance only attempted four 3s in 42 games with the Lakers, and Ball was still shooting jumpers from the left side of his face. At halftime at Barclays Center, three days before his 28th birthday, Ball spoke up in the locker room, telling his new teammates not to get comfortable with their lead but to extend it in the third quarter. "You can see the level of growth and maturity as players and people," the 32-year-old Nance said. "In LA, we were still just trying to find our bearings and get situated. Now, I know who I am and I'm very comfortable in that. Zo knows who he is and he's very comfortable in that. And we're very good in our respective roles. It's just cool to see a level of assuredness for us both." There is a sense of clarity around the Cavs that was not present the last time the two were teammates. They may not know precisely what the playoff rotation will look like, but "nobody's vying for position for who's the guy, who's this, who's that," Nance said. And there is absolutely no doubt about what they're aiming for. "It's black and white now," Ball said. "The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing for a ring. Everybody knows that. They're trying to make some additions to help get that goal done, and that's why we're here."
