Fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers are hopeful that the 2025-26 NBA season will be special. They aren’t alone. Veteran Larry Nance Jr. has already expressed the same excitement by proclaiming this might be the best basketball team he’s ever been on.
“Going into year 11 for me, I can confidently say this is a team I’ll look back on,” said Nance during training camp. “Say we do or don’t come out on top at the end… but this will be a team I look back on and go like ‘dang, that’s probably, if not the best,
one of the best teams I’ve ever gotten to be a part of.”
Nance has played a full decade of NBA basketball, suiting up for five different franchises. He’s been to the playoffs three separate times — including a run to the 2018 NBA Finals with LeBron James and the Cavaliers. That team, which Nance joined at the deadline, is easily the best roster that Nance has been on before this season.
The current Cavs make a strong case for themselves. A top-five MVP candidate in Donovan Mitchell, the DPOY and Second-Team All-NBA rising star Evan Mobley, and a third All-Star in Darius Garland, already give this team more talent than the 2018 Cavs had (outside of LeBron). That’s not even mentioning this squad’s bench, which features a Sixth Man of the Year finalist in De’Andre Hunter and quality depth at every position.
Nance was born and raised in Ohio. So, one could argue he’s just a little biased. But Nance insists that this roster would have been special in any city.
“It’s just a bonus that this is Cleveland,” said Nance. “I would’ve chased this basketball situation in Sacramento, in Seattle, in the farthest parts of the country, but it’s a bonus point that it’s home.”
Nance isn’t just jumping on a bandwagon. Sure, the Cavs won 64 games last season — but Nance will still play a significant role with this team as he provides some much-needed depth in the frontcourt. In a few ways, Nance’s arrival is reinforcing this roster as the best he’s ever been on. You could argue this version of the Cavs needs Nance more than the 2018 team did.
As for which roster is actually better… It’s tough to say.
The 2025 Cavs undoubtedly have more depth and all-around talent than the 2018 squad. But… LeBron James has an unprecedented amount of value.
There are reasonable concerns about the 2026 Cavs’ ability to win in the playoffs. On the other hand, would you even question if 2018 LeBron could win this Eastern Conference? I don’t think so. James has shown he can win multiple playoff rounds all on his own.
So, like almost everything pertaining to this team, the answer will come in the playoffs. They’ll almost certainly win more regular season games than the 2018 squad (who only won 50 games in a chaotic season). But can this team go further in the postseason, when it matters most? We’ll have to wait and see.
All of this aside — Nance’s point still stands. This Cavaliers team is one of the best rosters he’s ever been on. And, they’ll have every opportunity to prove it by going the distance in the playoffs.
