Larry Nance Jr. is a HUGE get for the Cavaliers & why Tyrese Proctor can make an impact as a rookie

Larry Nance Jr. is a HUGE get for the Cavaliers & why Tyrese Proctor can make an impact as a rookie

[Music] Good morning and welcome into another edition of the Ultimate Cavaliers Show, Cavs and Coffee with Jason Lloyd. I am Mikey McNuggets and Jason, we unintentionally planned this up perfectly because in the last 15 or so hours, the Cavs have made a free agency move and we got an update on a move they reportedly, according to a player himself, did not make. But let’s start with the signing the Cleveland Cavaliers made. And by the way, we’re going to get to a little Tyrese Proctor video breakdown at the end of the show. But let’s start with the move the Cavs did make. They signed Larry Nance Jr. to a one-year deal. That means Larry Nance is coming back to the team he has played more games with than any other team in his NBA career. Jason, he only played 24 games last season, but when he was healthy, he was a very effective and efficient two-way scoreer for the Atlanta Hawks. The Cavs needed a backup big man, and it appears they got one in Larry Nance Jr. What are your thoughts on that signing for Cleveland?
Uh, it’s a great fit. Uh, it’s I’m sure he’s excited to come back home. He loved being here the first time. He did ask out at the end of the first run. I think that’s important to note. Uh but you know, I think things have changed obviously over the last few years. They were not in a good spot when he was here before. And it’s funny because I was just actually thinking about this this morning. Um I think he was part of the piece that brought Markin in here, wasn’t he? He was the trade that uh landed Lowry here, I think.
Keep going. I’ll look it up. Unless I’m misremembering that. And then obviously marketing begat Colin or begat Marketing and Colin begat Donovan and now and now Larry comes back for
You were correct. He was part of that deal.
Yeah, I was just thinking about that a little bit ago. Uh so, you know, in a strange way, Larry helped bring Donovan to Cleveland and uh now they’re going to team up together. He’s he’s improved his three-point shot since he’s been gone. He’s a backup. But, you know, I personally I think the biggest move I probably buried the lead on this in my rambling. I I think DeAndre Hunter should be the starting at three. And I think this allows that to happen a little bit if that’s the route that they want to go. I just think they’re better. I think they’re better with a little bit more size and length with Hunter at the three than with Max and bringing Max off the bench and having Nance as that backup big sort of allows that flexibility. Uh he’s great in the locker room. Everybody loves him and hometown kid coming home. So, I think it’s a great story.
I’m gonna save my thoughts on DeAndre Hunter moving to the starting lineup because I agree with you, but it fits better in the next topic and I’ll explain that then why, Jason. But over the last two less, Larry Nance Jr. has been an incredibly efficient three-point shooter from the big man position. He is 68. He is athletic. He’s not that seven foot bruiser that maybe Cleveland needed. They still lack a little bit of legitimate size behind Jared Allen and Evan Mobley on the front court. But in terms of pick an arc type of a player that could fit alongside Jarrett or fit alongside Evan or play alone in a small ball five lineup, it’s kind of the Larry Nance Jr. arc type. Last season, 45% from three, I saw Clea said it’s granted it’s a small sample size, but over the last two seasons in games where he shot at least four three-point attempts. So games he got legitimate volume, he’s shooting 50% on those threes. He was 32 of 64 from beyond the arc in games where he shot more than four three-point attempts. So he’s certainly not scared to let it fly. And when he has let it fly, he’s been incredibly efficient. He was actually in the 100th percentile last year, Jason. Well, again, small sample size, but in the 100th percentile of bigs in terms of three-point efficiency last year. So, you’re pairing I don’t want to call him a marksman because he’s not a marksman, but he is a uh effective and efficient three-point shooter. That plays into what Kenny Atinson wants to do, spacing the floor. If we’ve learned anything from the last 48 hours or so with the Cavaliers moves, prioritizing Sam Merrill over Ty Derome, which we’ll get to in a second, it’s that they want as much space on the court as humanly possible, right? They prioritize Sam Merrill to space the floor to allow their creators more opportunities to beat guys off the dribble and wreck havoc in the paint to kick out to guys to shoot. And now you have a three-point shooter in Larry Nance Jr. who playing is the only bigger playing along either starting big gives you opportunities to continue to play that style of basketball in a way that Tristan Thompson simply didn’t. I mean, this is the complete opposite in terms of a basketball onc court impact than Tristan Thompson brought. And I assume this is the end of the TT era here in Cleveland. You know, he was a great locker room guy. Didn’t offer a ton of oncourt impact outside of garbage time Jason. So, from that standpoint alone, I think Larry Nance is a great fit for this Cleveland roster, a great fit for this Cleveland rock locker room, and a a pretty significant upgrade on court from that backup big position over Tristan Thompson. Yeah, I’m sad to see Tristan go if this is the end only because uh you know he’s sort of the OG in there and he’s one of the few guys with legitimate championship experience and one of the few guys that could kind of show them the way on how to get there and obviously that’s something that they need. But if you’re looking for onc court production, obviously Larry’s going to give you more than uh than Tristan did. Um and and we’ll see we’ll I think we’re going to talk about if they’re if they’re done or not. Um, it’s been an interesting summer thus far. I can tell you that. Both from what is seen and what has not been seen. It’s been an interesting summer.
Yeah. Just to give you some more percentiles on the Larry N Jr. three-point shooting. Last season, once again, small sample size. Small sample size. He was in the 89th percentile from the corners for bigs. Jason shot 46%.
Wow.
Nine corner threes, he was in the 98th percentile of all bigs. And on all three-point attempts, he finished number one according to cleaning the glass in terms of the overall efficiency as a three-point shooter from what they categorized as a big. He was the only player in the 100th percentile. Number two and number seven on that list and number 10 if we’re going all the way down. Two Jokic, seven Durant, 10 cat. So more efficient in a significantly smaller sample size from those guys. He’s not the player they are, but the Cavs want spacing. They want a different style to play when they mix and match and go to their bench lineups. And for a guy who, you know, may only play 18 to 22 minutes a game, if if that’s on the high end, Jason is certainly capable of giving you 10, 11 points on a nightly basis if the three-point shot is falling. He’s super athletic. Hopefully, we get a couple more poster dunks like we saw in his first stint in Cleveland. And he’s a guy that the locker room will certainly embrace with open arms because of some of the relationships he has with guys he’s previously had teammates or teammate relationships with in the past. And I remember when Atlanta played Cleveland this year and he came back and he was wearing the Cleveland shirt, Jason. And I think you and I talked about it. I know Danny Cunningham got a picture of it. I got a picture of it like would it kind of be cool if if somehow Larry Nance Jr. found his way back? He’s a guy we talked about in trade rumors at the deadline as a potential backup big fit. So, it’s kind of just a it’s a cool full circle moment for the Cavs to bring back a guy in Larry Nance Jr. who clearly, unlike Sophie Cunningham, uh appreciates the better good that Cleveland can give a player.
He comes from a great family, man. Like, the Nance family is awesome. Obviously, Larry Senior is great. Uh their mom is great. I’ve met their mom. Uh it’s it’s just a it’s a long lineage of Cleveland. He’s a true Clevelander, man. He loves Cleveland. So, it’s a good story. It’s I’m glad they were able to get it done
and he’s a good fit. All right, Jason, let’s get to our second topic of the day after a quick word from FanDuel. Summer sports are in full swing and whether you’re all about baseball under the lights, golf on the green, or high stakes soccer action, FanDuel is the best way to make every game even more exciting. You’re already following the action, so why not make it a little more thrilling? With FanDuel, you can get in the game while your friends are getting sunburnt at the beach. If you’re new to FanDuel, well, we got a special promo for you right now. New customers can bet just $5 and get 150 in bonus bets if their first $5 bet wins. Just open the FanDuel app today or visit fanduel.com/uss to get started. Okay, Jason, this happened late last night. If anyone hasn’t seen it, let me set up what happened and I’ll tell you what Ty Jerome said. The Cavaliers signed Sam Merrill to a four-year $38 million contract over the weekend. Ty Jerome then signed a three-year $28 million deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. I believe that last year in the Memphis deal is a player option. I believe it’s an option year. I haven’t seen the exact details, but that was what I was told. And then Ty Jerome last night on his own Instagram page, meaning from the source himself posted this. Cleveland this past year will always hold a special place in my heart. Although I was never presented with the option of returning, nor did last season end how I wanted to, I will never forget all that this year brought. Jason, that is not an unnamed source. That is from the man himself, the third place finisher in the six men of the year voting, saying he was never presented with the option of returning. your thoughts on Cleveland, if we’re taking Tai at his word, just deciding to go in a different direction than offering the third place finisher in the sixth man of the year voting some sort of contract to stay with his most recent team.
Uh I’m a little surprised because I I just think they change their mind. I think the Cavs change their mind because there was one and and teams do that frankly quite often. Uh there was a point last year where that was going to be their number one sort of priority or offseason goal was trying to find a way to hang on to him. And we know how the season ended. We know he had a horrible series against the Pacers. Uh I’m a little surprised that that would pivot them from he’s the number one priority to not an offer at all if if Tai’s telling the truth on that. not entirely sure that he’s telling the total truth on that. Um, but I’m I’m also a little surprised now that like the dust is settled, we’ve had time to digest it all. I’m a little surprised that the length of Sam’s contract that they went to four years.
We kept talking about their window is really two more years and we kept talking about an offer, a two-year offer for what a two-year offer for what for Tai, what that would look like. So, I’m a little surprised. I think they were trying to get ahead of the market uh with with Sam. Clearly, he was the priority in the end. Uh I think for some of the spacing issues that you alluded to earlier and the way that he can create space and the way that he can obviously shoot the three. Um and I’m I’m just a little surprised at at how this ended with with Tai. uh you know I I think the defense and the athleticism thing is real but uh they are good enough in other spots to sort of cover that up I thought uh to limit his deficiencies when you put Tai in a role that he is capable of he’s proven to you what he can do what he can deliver um it’s when you ask him to be more than what he is I think is where he got exposed a little bit uh but I just think uh clearly I think the Cavs thought that it was not sustainable and what he did last year is not repeatable or else he’d be back here.
Yeah, for the sake of this discussion, Jason, I agree with you that Tai gave us a little insight, but I always have a feeling that it’s may not be the full story. It’s probably somewhere in between. You know, you hear players say things all the time. You hear teams say things all the time and when the dust settles and you get the real story a few years later and you find out what truly happened, it usually lies somewhere in the middle. You know, maybe Tai didn’t feel like whatever offer Cleveland made was fair value, so he didn’t even see it as a true contract offer because it was something he never would accept. I don’t know. Haven’t talked to anyone. I don’t know the exact details. At the end of the day, I said this on UCSS yesterday, I’ll repeat it here today. I am flabbergasted that Sam got more years, more overall money, and a higher average annual value than Charles. Shocked. I understand the series against Indiana was a debacle for Tai. Could not have gone worse. Not just offensively. We that’s what we focus on, but they picked on him defensively, too. He was a complete liability on that end as well. But we also had a 74 game sample size in the regular season where I would die on the hill that he was the most impactful bench player on a permanent basis off the bench. And how many times do we come in the day after a game, Jason, saying Cavs don’t win that without Tai Jerome?
Cavs don’t and I love Sam. Sam’s my guy. But did we ever come in the next day and say Sam Merrill swung that game for Cleveland? Like no, we didn’t. So at the end of the day, you know, I would have preferred Cleveland going the Tai Jerome route, even for the exact same contract they gave Sam as opposed to giving that money to Sam. But for whatever reason, Cleveland felt that either it wasn’t repeatable, he had been exposed in a certain kind of way and maybe would never recover. But to that point of Indiana expose something against Tai, I would also just counter Indiana kind of exposed Jaylen Brunson in a way and they made SGA work harder in the finals than SGA worked at any point in the regular season to where he had games where he did not look anything like a league MVP. Jason, I think a lot of that has to do with Indiana being an incredible defensive team and their point of attack defense being top-notch more than something more than it says Tai can never play in that kind of style or can play at that kind of pace. I’m surprised. I love the fact that Tai came out and said this because I like when players speak their minds and are transparent. I’m not saying he’s 100% being honest because like I said, I do believe there’s probably a little more to it than oh, they simply never called. That’s usually how it works. They have these discussions and if they can’t come to a ballpark range, then an offer is probably never made. But hey, if Tai wants to call it the Cavs for not resigning him after trading for his best friend with a GM that clearly coveted him from the get-go, because that was a guy Kobe considered trading up for in the draft a couple years ago, then I’m all for Tai calling him out, Jason. I’m I’m all for it. Yeah,
it makes us want to talk about too in the middle of July. So, I also appreciate them for that. Yeah, it’ll be interesting when they play. Um, you know, it’s funny. I was thinking about this totally kind of off topic, but kind of related to Tai. I I’ve been thinking about how much the Cavs just been getting crushed and destroyed in the national narrative all summer long. And I thought back to that Virginia team that lost in the first round to a 16 seed. I remember who beat him now.
Uh, the Baltimore school, right? Baltimore.
Yeah.
Beat him in the first round. Uh so number one seed in the tournament becomes the first team to lose to a 16 seed and everybody just destroyed Virginia and then they come back the next year and win the national championship. And obviously Tai was from V was at Virginia during that time.
So is uh DeAndre. You’re right. Yeah, DeAndre was too. Um so maybe we can talk to DeAndre about that as the as the season goes on. Uh I don’t know. Just one of those weird things I was thinking about. But, uh, it’ll be interesting to see when they play each other, uh, what Tai has to say about it.
Uh, one last thing on this, Jason, you mentioned moving DeAndre Hunter to the starting lineup. I had been against it last season. I just think it’s really hard to insert a guy mid-season into a starting lineup while he’s learning a new offense coming from a completely different culture from Atlanta to Cleveland. Now, I think you have to start him partly because when you look at the Cavs bench, and we’re gonna talk about Tyrese Proctor in a second, Max Streus might be their best playmaker on the bench now without Ty Jerome. I mean, maybe it’s Jaylen Tyson if he takes a gigantic leap from his rookie year to his sophomore year, which I fully expect him to do,
but I’m not sure if you want a guy who’s never been in that situation being your primary creator off the bench. Maybe it’s Proctor. Maybe it’s Craig Porter Jr. in year three making a similar leap. Maybe Merryill has that in his bag that we didn’t know. But DeAndre Hunter is an isolation scorer. His assist numbers throughout his career for as good as he’s been in other facets have been comically low. Like seriously, one of the lowest assist rates in the entire NBA when we did the whole DeAndre Hunter vers Cam Johnson talk last trade deadline. Part of the reason I preferred Johnson was Hunter really doesn’t pass the ball. We saw it even when he was in Cleveland last year. So I think that fits better in the starting lineup now than with Strus. and Strus seriously might be their best playmaker in that second unit. And I think that second unit is going to need a little bit of a playmaking push. So I was against it last year for a couple different reasons. Now with some material changes, I think Hunter has to start and Stru is coming off the bench.
I’ve I’ve liked that lineup the best all along. I’ve thought since the day he got here, Hunter should be in the starting lineup and Max should be coming off the bench. when you talk about how small they are in the front court or in the back court. DeAndre at least provides a little bit of length on the floor to help with that. Uh so I just I like Max as a better fit as a as a playmaker coming off the bench and I like DeAndre’s fit better in the starting lineup especially. I mean, you know, let’s see what the East looks like because I you know I I think we’re still trying to put all the pieces together, but I’m going back to last year with how big Boston was. Obviously Boston’s going to look a lot different now. Maybe Orlando’s that team now, that really big team that the Cavs have to contend with that uh you know where they they need a little bit more size uh on the starting lineup.
Uh Jason, let’s get to our last topic of the show, which is brought to us by Buckeye State Credit Union. If you haven’t heard of them, meet your new favorite financial partner. Buckeye State Credit Union is a local institution offering everything from checking accounts to home equity lines of credit and auto loans with some of the lowest rates in Northeast Ohio. Their Cleveland branches in Shaker Heights, which is one of five locations across the state, making it easy to find one near you. If you can’t get to a branch, no problem. They make banking simple with digital banking. What sets them apart? Well, Buckeye State Credit Union makes banking personal and convenient. At Buckeye, their focus is you. Their core values connect, simplify, and adapt. Got everything they do, bringing people together, cutting through the clutter, and they’re innovative. To learn more, visit buckeyu.org. Buckeye State Credit Union. Your money simplified. Okay, Jason Lloyd, let’s do it. It is time to do a little video deep dive into Tyrese Proctor, the Cavs second round pick, number n 49 overall. Apparently, he was telling teams, “Don’t draft me because Cleveland has a fully guaranteed roster spot that I want to be a part of. I want to sign that four-year 8.3 million contract and be a part of the Cleveland Cavaliers.” Now, it’s worth mentioning Ammani Bates was the 49th pick and he never got a shot to play at the NBA level. Tyresese Proctor in a bit of a different situation as the similar 49th draft pick two years later. So, I got some clips, Jason, I want to run through some of the things that I think will translate for Tyrese Proctor to the NBA level. Are you ready?
Let’s go.
First and foremost, it’s the shooting. We’ve talked about the shooting in the past. I gave you guys the numbers the day after the draft in terms of what Tyrese Proctor does off the dribble, off the pick and roll as the ball handler. But his number one skill, the number one thing he’s going to immediately bring to the Cleveland Cavaliers is his ability to shoot the basketball. And we got some clips here that show it. Jason, first and foremost, as this runs through, I’m not going to stop on certain plays. I’m just going to let this roll. Look at how quickly Proctor sets his feet, transitions into the shot, and gets it off. When they drafted Jaylen Tyson last year, my big complaint with Jaylen Tyson, at least through the tape, was he had a slow release. That is not an issue with Tyrese Proctor. That is a fluid all-in-one motion. This a little off the dribble, which is an incredible move, by the way. We’ll talk about his off the dribble shooting here in a second. But this comes from a pass allin-one motion. It’s not Sam Merrill speed, but for a 21-year-old coming out of college, that is a lightning quick release. He made over 40% of his threes. He made 13 threes from 25 feet or deeper this season, Jason, which was one of the top marks in college basketball. So, he certainly has the range. Off the dribble, he made 47% of his three-point shots. Typically, off the dribble is even harder than catch and shoot. He was 43% on catch and shoot threes this year. That was the 95th percentile in the entire college basketball world. And as a pick and roll ball handler, he shot 46.4% on threes last season at Duke. The Duke can shoot the ball. He has some other flaws we’ll get to in a sec, but in terms of shooting, that is a skill that certainly translates from the ACC to the Cleveland Cavaliers. All right, keep going.
All right, let’s go to his pick and roll ability here. I mentioned the shooting off the pick and roll, but he’s not just a shooter off the pick and roll. He was able to score in a variety of different ways. And the one thing that stands out to me in terms of his usage of the pick and roll, Jason, and watch it in some of these clips is the way he changes tempos. The way at times he explodes, at times he plays slow, using his 66 frame with an even longer wingspan to generate some space. This first clip comes against UNCC and he’s using uh Malawak as a screen. Gets the defender on his hip. kind of slows down, plays at his own pace here, gets a foot in the paint with a little turnaround jump shot. He’s not too aggressive. We’ll get to his finishing in a second, but he kind of understands, do I have a lane? If yes, go. If not, let me pivot, turn around, and try and create some space with my frame, but I love the way, especially on this clip, puts the guy on his hip. I’m going to see if I could rewind just a little bit. I know it’s it’s tough on this particular
uh system. There you go. But he gets the guy right there on his hip. That little ha will back into the defender creates a little more space. It shows that despite his frame not being that big, Jason is a little bit wiry, strong enough to take that contact and with his big man sealing UNC’s big man puts him in a perfect position for a little floater. That one to me in particular may have been the most impressive use of the pick and roll here. Dribble into the shot. We talked about his shooting off the pick and roll from beyond the arc. Incredibly impressive there. a little hesitation, dribble, then explodes into it. He’s just a smart player, Jason. He’s not gonna overly wow you with his athleticism. He’s not overly quick. I think he uses his size to create space in a way that is pretty helpful to uh the overall makeup of his offensive game, but I thought he was really patient and smart with the way he attacked in the pick and roll more than the oh my god, I can’t believe he just dunked this or oh my god, I can’t believe he’s getting to the paint over and across those angles. I think he’s more of a smart pick and roll player and sometimes being smart and slow is a lot better than being athletic and fast. He’s not Luca Donuch by any means, but Luca plays at his own pace. It It’s almost Ty Jerome picking.
I was just going to say I got to tell you, it sounds like you’re describing Ty Jerome. I’m sitting here thinking
there’s a lot of Ty Jerome in the way he does pick and roll. I mean I mean this clip I I mentioned it earlier Jason tell me Ty Jerome it’s the next one but that clip against UNCC tell me that’s not exactly what we saw Tai Jerome do right here. Absolutely.
87 times this year has he made a gajillion floaters.
Yeah.
But it’s not just floaters for Proctor. He can finish and he can finish with a little bit of power, too. Uh
he’s not a subpar athlete. Is he an elite athlete? No. But I mean, some of these are pretty sweet. I would kill to have one of these on my highlight tape. Uh he’s got a couple and he can finish with either hand. Much better going to his right. Loves to go to his right when he drives. Much more patient going right. He does have a couple clips here where he goes left, but a lot more comfortable when he’s coming from the left side of the court to the right to the middle to his right hand, but I mean 66 with a 67 and a half wingspan and bunnies like this. Uh, you got a place in the league. And last but not least, his passing. A lot of this comes off the pick and roll, Jason. But just like we talked about with his finishing in the pick and roll, just a smart player and a really good lob thrower, which should be a good pairing with Jared Allen, with Evan Mobley, with Larry Nance Jr. Now, Duke obviously had some significant size advantages in the collegiate ranks. They had some elite athletes. I mean, three of their guys got drafted in the top 10, but all in all, a patient, experienced player off the pick and roll who I think more often than not makes the right decision over trying to make the flashy pass. Just a solid passer. And right here, I mean, that’s highlevel stuff, Jason. Reading the defense, figuring out where the help’s coming from. Do you have the lob? Is he And and I want to show that last one again because I did a bad job explaining in the first. when he comes off this pick and roll. Watch the patience he holds. You see the defender and drop coverage right in the middle. Jason, he’s got the
Watch how he holds him just long enough to allow Malawak time to get to the paint and force the big man to have to make a decision. Do I drop and give him the open layup or do I stay up on Proctor? He gives him just enough of a hesitation right here. Big man gives one false step. As soon as he sees that one false step forward, there goes the lob. There’s no recovery. So all in all, I’m not sure if he has top end elite level skill in any one thing. Shooting is by far his best skill, but he is certainly a smart experienced player, Jason, who for a 49th overall pick in the draft. I’m not expecting a giant impact. I’m not sure he’ll get a ton of opportunities, but I do think certainly as a game that translates to a multi-year NBA guy who can have a pretty successful career in a variety of different roles, whether it be for Cleveland or for someone else down the road.
I I think they’re going to have to get something out of him. Not necessarily this year. I don’t know that you’re really counting on him for a lot this year, but uh moving forward, when you are in the tax bracket that the Cavs now find themselves in, you’ve got to get something on the margins. And they’ve done a nice job of developing guys on the margins and turning undrafted Dean Wade into something. And uh you know, finding Sam Merrill on the scrap heap and turning him into, you know, someone that they obviously believe in. And Jaylen Tyson’s going to get his opportunities this year and uh Proctor will eventually be that guy as well because you have to keep cutting where you can to survive where they are. Uh I totally off the topic of Proctor, but I do think it’s worth pointing out, you know, we mentioned on the show, I think it’s easier for them to get out of the second apron now by the trade deadline if they so choose. Mhm.
If if Lonzo gets hurt again, which it’s not an if, but when with him, um, you know, if it becomes where he can’t really help them, I think it’s a lot easier to get off that money. Now, that opens a spot. Um, Dean may not finish the, you know, I’m just, he’s a guy
is going to miss the first couple weeks of the season potentially, which gives him more opportunity for Proctor early as well. Yeah. Yeah. He may have pockets here and there. Uh but you know, when when when you don’t have a lot of first round picks, like they don’t and they’re not high picks, uh when you’ve got seconds and and undrafted free agents and two-way guys, you’ve got to get something out of them. And we saw them move on from Ammani. I think Ammani was more of a JB guy than a uh than a Kenny guy. I think that might have gone into decision a little bit to move on from him. I think JB was higher on him than probably Kenny was. Um, so now you start over on that two-way slot. We talked about that on the show. They’ve invested a couple of years into these guys and now you cut them loose and now you got to start that process over. Uh, but, you know, no one’s asking them to start on day one, but they’re they’re going to need like the pressurees on to continue to develop these guys. Um, and to continue to sort of find value in places where other teams aren’t looking. And I think to add on to that before we wrap this up, Jason, with a second round pick, you can go one of two ways. You can take the high upside swing like an Ammani Bates, like one of these European guys that you hope can hit in in two, three years, or you can find a guy who you think may not be and may not have as high of a ceiling as some others, but could be a contributor in some degree at the NBA level. And a lot of those guys are the guys that played three, four, in today’s day and age, five, six, sometimes even seven years of college basketball who may be closer to a finished product, but have a higher floor and have a better sense of how to fit in, right? And Proctor, for better or worse, came into Duke as one of the highest rated point guards in the entire country. Came out of Australia, the Australian Basketball Factory, was a top five or a five-star prospect. I’m not sure his exact ranking, but was a fivestar prospect. played on the ball as a point guard as a freshman and by his junior year transitioned to more off the ball, right? So, he’s done a little bit of both. He’s been the I don’t want to say go-to scorer, but he was asked to carry more of an offensive load earlier in his Duke career than he was later when they had Kenipple and Cooper Flag and other guys who were able to score. So, Proctor, who played three years of college, which feels rare in today’s day and age,
Yeah. comes into the Cav situation being a guy who has been the highly recruited prospect, had been the number one offense at a a number one offensive option at a high level school, has then been an offball guy, has been a role player alongside other superstars, knowing how to play on and off with those guys and when to attack, when to defer. So, I think they looked at him and and circled Proctor as a guy who, yeah, maybe he doesn’t have the high-end ceiling that another player at that position would have, but can come in, can fill a role, can play, is experienced enough. And I said this about Ty Jerome earlier. I said this when they signed Lonzo Ball. You can’t have enough ball handlers and playmakers in today’s NBA, Jason. You simply cannot have enough ball handlers and playmakers. Look at the Indiana series. Look at the finals. Look at what Chris Finch said, the Timberwolves coach after they lost to Oklahoma City. He said, “Yeah, it’s great to have shooters, but if we don’t have anyone who can get them the ball, it doesn’t matter.
You need playmakers.” And Proctor
should be a guy,
and it’s a big should because he’s a second round pick and he can never guarantee it, but should be a guy who at some point in his NBA career and hopefully a lot sooner than later could not only create for himself, but generate some open looks for other guys on the team, too.
We’ll see. Training camp, uh, a couple months away. All right, that’s going to wrap it up for the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show. Ultimate Cavaliier show, excuse me. We have the Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show coming up in two and a half hours where uh little teaser for you guys. I went and shot Bulls little league game on Monday and it was filled with more drama than I’ve seen in almost any Guardians game this year. They were bad calls. They were over the fence home runs. And there’s a bowl explosion that is worth your money. It’ll be at the end of today’s UCSS show, so make sure y’all tune in. The panel today is G. Bush, Bull, and Earl. And we will see you guys at 11. For Jason Lloyd, I’m Mikey McNuggets. Have a good one. Peace. [Music]

Larry Nance Jr. is coming back to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Mark Stein is reporting the Cavs have agreed to a deal with the former Cavs’ big man to help solidify the front court.

Tyrese Proctor is expected to do big things for the Cavaliers after being drafted #49 overall last week. Proctor signed a 4 year guaranteed deal with the Cavs and could be the first in line to replace the production of Ty Jerome.

Is it fair to expect Proctor to be a day one contributor?

The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed 2025 NBA Draft pick, guard Tyrese Proctor to a multi-year contract, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Proctor (6-4, 183), who was selected with the 49th overall pick in last week’s draft, appeared in 38 games (all starts) as a junior for Duke this past season, averaging 12.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 29.9 minutes. Proctor also ranked fourth in the ACC in three-point percentage (.405) and three-point field goals made per game (2.34) while also ranking fourth in program history (25th in NCAA Division I) in assist-turnover ratio (2.33). Proctor also led Duke to its 23rd ACC Tournament championship, contributing 19 points on a career-high six three-pointers made in the game and was named a 2024-25 All-ACC Third Team selection and ACC All-Tournament Second Team pick. In his career with the Blue Devils, Proctor appeared in 106 games (97 starts), averaging 10.8 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 29.9 minutes. The NBA Academy alumnus was the 14th player to be drafted or sign with an NBA team.

Proctor will wear jersey #24 for the Cavaliers.