Pete Nance | Cavs Practice | 1.19.2024

Pete Nance | Cavs Practice | 1.19.2024

Um can you walk us through like how you found out the news um it was pretty cool we had a uh charge game in Westchester um and after the game um coach Mike G uh announced it to the team uh and found out that way so it was a it was a

Definitely a pleasant surprise what was your reaction immediately um I think just you know I think just um it’s honestly felt just really good uh you know I’ve been working really really hard um just to become as good as I can be in the G and developing myself um and I

Think that you know this is this is a great step in the right direction for me um so it just you know hard work is paying off but uh doesn’t mean you know there definitely a lot of motivation to to keep working if you’re unable to see

A lot of floor minutes game time minutes uh during the time day how do you how do you hope to impress the team yeah I think just um just being around the guys um you know talking to them learning as much as I can um obviously this is the

Highest level of basketball in the world so um just soaking everything up and learning as much as I can um and just putting my best foot forward and and working as hard as I can and um you know just doing whatever I can do to to make

A good impression youve work with a lot of these guys in summer league so uh does that help kind of go into ease your comfort level for sure yeah during training camp I was able to build a relationship with with with um you know majority of the guys and a lot of the

Staff so um that definitely helps um kind of having a foot in the door that way you’re deep rooted here but what does it mean to you to to be able to join this team now officially with that 10-day contract knowing the history that you have yeah I mean it’s amazing um you

Know obviously I’m I’m I’m from right down the road um grew up a lifelong Cavs fan um and so to be able to be in practice and you know just be around the team and be around these guys obviously it’s a it’s a dream come true um something I’ve thought about my whole

Life for sure so um it’s just it’s just a really awesome moment for me judging from your brother’s Twitter activi he pretty excited um what kind of you get from yeah I think um definitely just told me you know enjoy the moment um but definitely just take every

Opportunity you can to you know seize the moment in at the same time um you know it’s a it’s a rare opportunity for for guys in my position so um definitely don’t wasted it but but also have fun at the same time the G league is grind but

The experience and the development of players has shown it tremendously players being called up to the NBA what has the grind been like for you and how have you seen your development yeah I mean I’ve loved it I’ve loved the g-league um you know just coming in and getting that real like individual

Attention um watching a ton of film um and the coaches are just you know so focused on just making you a better player um which it’s it’s a little different in college sometimes you know guys are coaches are out recruiting or out doing you know different different stuff or stuff like

That so I think just having them really focused on us and making us better um it’s been amazing for me and I feel like I’ve definitely gotten a lot better this year already road trip is a great way to kind of bom with your teammates how much

You looking forward to getting on the rad with these guys and fact that they’re playing well at the same time yeah super excited super excited um you know definitely just continue to build that relationship with them but also just see um you know how these guys operate obviously this is like I said

It’s the highest level of basketball in the world and um a team that’s playing as well as anybody in the NBA so watching how these guys prepare and um you know really lock in for games is going to be really cool for me to watch and experience and learn from you said a

Couple times now that you feel like you got better you know Season where are the areas that you think you kind of boosted yourself in um I think uh defensively um I think there’s just a real Focus obviously on defense is really important um at this

Level uh if you can’t defend then you can’t play so that’s been a um you know being able to guard multiple positions and protect the rim um but also just shooting um shooting ability I think you know I was able to shoot before but I think really locking in on that and

Obviously knowing that that’s something that I’m going to need you know at this level too um been working really hard at and I think it’s it’s really coming along how much fun was it to you know I saw the video the charge put out everybody got through the triple level how much

Fun was that and then just to follow it up with the with the 10day I’m sure had to kind of been a pretty special for you for sure yeah um it was it was a really special moment for me um obviously I mean it was my first triple double I’ve

Ever had um so that was really cool but then um just how happy my teammates were for me really meant a lot to me um you know I know we’re all in the same position trying to get you know these these um different call-ups and and

Stuff like that but to have them uh you know put that aside and just be super happy for me um was was really really cool do you have a memory when you were a kid like the first time you thought you know thenba is my dream do you know

How old you were you remember hitting you that way um I don’t know if I if I know a specific moment obviously I knew I love basketball but I think watching watching my brother play for the Lakers in his first year um and just that he made it you know what I mean

Like we grew up together and we you know from playing outside in the driveway and then now he’s playing for the Lakers I think um that was just a special moment for me uh just cuz it was just like the person I look up to you know and watch grow up

Made it to where you know that’s what I want to do and that’s where I want to be so um definitely I think I think sometime in probably 2015 2016 when he was playing there coach or any of his coach or any of the coaches told you kind what to expect over this

Next um not really no not really um you know I’m just come in uh you know just be ready for for any opportunity I get um but just really happy to be here and just you know just soak up as much as I can and and learn from from the game

Plan learn from from the guys and everything like that so um just you know just expecting to you know come in and and learn as much as I can for sure the guys here the other day were really excited when they found out that you got

That 10-day contract is there a piece of advice or something that they said some kind of support that you think is going to stick with you from the team that you have right here yeah I think um a lot of the guys have just told me to enjoy it I

Think um it can be a very serious thing and kind of a scary thing um but just you know I’ve been working really hard and I’m prepared for this moment so I think just trying to enjoy it as much as I can um has been the has been the main thing that that

Everybody said to me

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Pete Nance spoke to the media following practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts on January 19, 2024.