Despite their remarkable 2024-25 NBA season, the Cleveland Cavaliers remain one of the biggest puzzles ahead of the upcoming season. They dominated the league with a 64-18 regular season record, but followed that up with a disappointing postseason performance. Many have already begun writing the team off, but Larry Nance Jr. believes they will take the next step.
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Once LeBron James left the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018, the front office knew they had a long road ahead before they reached title contention again. It seemed like the team had finally crossed that bridge last season, but that evidently wasn’t the case.
Since acquiring Donovan Mitchell ahead of the 2022-23 season, the Cavaliers have failed to live up to expectations. In 2023, they lost in the first round to the New York Knicks. The following season, they barely scraped by the Orlando Magic before losing to the Boston Celtics.
Their most recent blunder against the Indiana Pacers in the second round of the 2025 NBA playoffs would top all of those. Despite them being the heavy favorite, the Pacers dominated, winning the series in five games.
It doesn’t take much to wonder why people are wary of putting their faith in the Cavs again. However, Cleveland have made some moves to bolster their roster. One of those includes bringing back Larry Nance Jr., who played for the team between 2018 to 2021. While analyzing the ceiling of this group, he provided an answer fragrant with candor.
“Very rarely do you get a team in the NBA that just ascends straight to a championship,” Nance said on The Hoop Collective. “So sure, the Cavs they got to the second round, got to the second round again. So it feels like this team has paid their dues.”
Take Stephen Curry’s 2017 Golden State Warriors for example. They didn’t just become a championship team overnight. They lost a few years in the first and second rounds before finally their breaking through. Nance believes that is what is on the horizon for the Cavaliers.
“It feels like they’ve taken their lumps. You need a few fortunate breaks,” Nance added.
One of those breaks could come in the form of the decimated Eastern Conference this season. Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum’s rehab from their Achilles injuries eliminates the Indiana Pacers and Boston Celtics as threats. It also helps that the Cavaliers now have a play like Nance on the roster.
“I do think I can help with the playoff versatility. I do think I can help with the spacing on the court a little bit. It’s an East that looks awfully appetizing this year,” Nance proclaimed.
The NBA is ever-changing, and one untimely injury could ruin the entire season. But as things currently stand, Nance holds a strong belief that the Cavaliers will be fighting to be the last team standing, whether people believe in them or not.
