Nance shined in his second game of the season.
The Cleveland Charge fall to 1-1 behind a 122-114 loss to the Indiana Mad Ants. Pete Nance led the team with 29 points (5-10 three-point shooting).
“I’ve never had 30 in my life,” said Nance. “I’ve had 29 probably 15 times and never had 30 before, not even high school — I’ll get over it one day, it’s a jinx or something.”
Nance put together a fantastic shooting performance in the second half. His three-point barrage gave the Charge a brief lead before the Mad Ants recovered to steal the game.
“I think there were crucial parts in the game where we didn’t take over — or we let our foot off the gas and got content,” Nance said.
The Charge had a few stretches where the game got away from them. It was a slow start and a slow finish — just one day after they dominated the same opponent by 37 points. Rookie head coach Chris Darnell acknowledged the highs and lows of basketball after the game.
“[Yesterday] hopefully wasn’t my last win, and I’m sure [today] isn’t going to be my last loss either,” Darnell said. “You can’t overreact to a win and I think you should overreact to a loss either.”
There are plenty of good things for the Charge to take away from their first two games. Two-way forward Luke Travers put on a show with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists in his first game. He wasn’t as effective on Sunday but he still displayed a multifaceted skillset that will benefit the team all season.
“[Luke’s] just a guy who impacts the game in so many different ways, whether it’s with his rebounding, his switchability on defense or his ability to handle a pick and roll,” said Darnell.
The other positive takeaway, of course, was the three-point shooting of Nance.
“That’s going to be my differentiator, at my size being a big that can shoot,” said Nance. “That’s something I can hang my hat on as I try to work my way into the NBA.”
Nance has a fluid release and the size needed to shoot over anyone. He chose his spots efficiently today, something he credits coach Darnell for helping him develop.
“We spent a lot of time working on reading closeouts,” said Darnell. “[Nance] is a really versatile player — if [the defense] puts a five on him, he can space the floor and attack closeouts or shoot the ball — and if they put a smaller guy on him, now he’s able to attack the paint.”
It’s easy to talk yourself into Nance as a prospect. He’s a 6’10’ player who can stretch the floor and at times on defense, provide weakside rim protection. His fit alongside two-way big JT Thor has been an interesting one to start the season as the duo has already combined for 11 blocks across two games.
“I think of myself as a rim protector,” Nance said. “So it’s fun to be out there with another guy that plays with the same mentality.”
Coach echoed the same sentiment about his defensive frontcourt. “I talked about [Pete’s] positional versatility and being able to punish mismatches (on offense) but on the defensive end, those guys can both switch. They can protect the rim.”
Putting the full package together is the challenge. Nance, and other players on the roster, are all working to establish themselves in the young season. Winning games and taking the next step in their development is the ultimate goal.
“Everybody’s here working for that call-up,” Nance said. “It’s what everybody here’s working for. I think just buying into the team and doing whatever it takes for the team to be as successful as possible.”