One of the key topics of this past NBA offseason was what the Cleveland Cavaliers were going to do with their roster. Collin Sexton and his future was brought up on multiple occasions, specifically in regards to trade talks surrounding Ben Simmons, but a lot of the talk about this roster was the future of Kevin Love.
Heading into what is now his 14th NBA season, Love was being deemed a “liability” and “obsolete” to this Cavaliers’ organization, but the veteran big man has really flipped his narrative. After averaging his fewest points (12.2), rebounds (7.4) and field goals made (4.1) since his rookie season, Kevin Love has seen his role change for the better this season.
With the additions of Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Lauri Markkanen, Love has taken on more of a “reserve” role for the Cleveland Cavaliers and this has worked out for both sides. Through 29 games, the veteran forward is averaging 14.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists and is shooting 43.3% from three-point range, the best of his career.
The former five-time All-Star has really embraced his role as being the veteran leader of this young Cavaliers team and as a result, Cleveland currently finds themselves 21-16 on the season, good for the 5-seed at the moment in the Eastern Conference.
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Both Ricky Rubio and Collin Sexton are done for the season with knee injuries, which has made Kevin Love’s role even more important. He is not the player that will step up and take over the ball-handling duties in the backcourt for this team, but Love is more than capable of being an impactful “sixth-man” for this team.
It is crazy to think about Kevin Love possibly being in the conversation for Sixth-Man of the Year with guys like Jordan Clarkson, Tyler Herro and Buddy Hield being some of the league’s best bench players, but Love currently sits 7th in the league this season in points scored off-the-bench.
His contract is still unfavorable, but all the talks of there being a potential buyout and Love sitting out the season in Cleveland have dissipated.
Love has scored at least 20 points in five straight games now for the Cavs and since the start of December, he is averaging 18.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and is shooting 48.9% from the floor, 49.2% from three-point range.
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In this time, over 70% of Love’s total shots have come from three-point range and he has been one of the best bench scorers in the entire league.
With all of the injuries the Cavaliers have had to deal with and players being in and out of health protocols, Kevin Love has had to step up numerous times this season and while Cleveland lost to the Atlanta Hawks the other night, Love still manage to put up 35 points on 7-14 from three-point range and he also collected 11 rebounds off-the-bench.
Back on December 26, the Cavaliers won at home over the Toronto Raptors and Kevin Love stepped up with 22 points (6-9 3PT) and 9 rebounds. “I think sometimes, people have forgotten who Kevin Love is, and those open threes and things like that that he’s able to get and knock down,” head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters after his team’s win over the Raptors.
“He’s an elite shooter. He can make those shots and make you pay.”
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Throughout his entire career, shooting has always been a strength of Kevin Love’s game. Entering the league in 2008, not many big men were known to be elite-level three-point shooters and many power-forwards and centers in the league made a name for themselves being low-post and paint threats.
Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Bosh, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming, Dwight Howard, David West and so many others made their living scoring at the rim, but Kevin Love was so much more than that.
His ability to step out on the perimeter and knock down shots really helped change the way we look at modern day big men in the league today and because he was such a terrific rebounder, Love quickly became one of the most dominant big men in the league.
Being a vital part of the Cavaliers’ championship run in 2016, Love has always seemed to find success in whatever role he was in and now, as a mentor for the next generation in Cleveland, Kevin Love is once again finding success in this league.
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Whether or not his long-term future is in Cleveland, the 33-year-old power-forward is still proving that he can make a difference. Given the size of his contract, the Cavaliers will likely have a hard time trying to trade him again, which is why they should be more than happy keeping him their roster should he continue to be effective in his bench role.
