Kevin Love is a player who may not have gotten enough credit during his NBA career. It was a big reason why the Cleveland Cavaliers went to multiple NBA Finals, and it was crucial for the Cavaliers to win an NBA championship in 2016. While Love was the third star of the big three Cavs which consisted of himself, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving is now the only one of those three still playing for the Cavaliers.
Love was certainly a beast before joining the Cavaliers. However, he just admitted that he had to completely change his game to be successful with James and Irving in Cleveland.
Kevin Love was a third star for the Cavs after dominating the Timberwolves
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Love went to the Memphis Grizzlies with fifth overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. He was later traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves and ultimately dominated in Minnesota.
After a couple of decent seasons to kickstart his career, Love became an All-Star in 2010-11. He averaged 20.2 points per game that season and led the NBA in rebounds per game with 15.2. Love then continued to improve in subsequent years, averaging 26 points per game and over 12 rebounds in both 2011-12 and 2013-14 seasons with the Timberwolves.
However, in the summer of 2014, the Timberwolves exchanged Love with the Cleveland Cavaliers, as Love teamed up with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Over the next four years, Love’s numbers took a hit as he was no longer the main star, but the Cavaliers were very successful.
In the four seasons he played with James, Love averaged 17.1 points per game and 10 rebounds. However, the Cavaliers made four consecutive NBA Finals appearances in those years and won the NBA Finals in 2016.
James and Irving were also incredible in those seasons. James averaged 26.1 points per game, eight assists and 7.7 rebounds over those four years. Irving, on the other hand, averaged 22.4 points per game and 5.3 assists in the three seasons he played with the Cavaliers in that stretch. Love was clearly not the best in those seasons.
Love had to completely change to play with James and Irving
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Love recently went to JJ Redick’s The old man and the three podcast, and discussed what it was like to become the third star of an NBA team.
“I really had to turn my body a little lighter,” Love said. “But also, I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to have to shoot a lot of three. I will have to completely change my game. ‘… At that time, it was probably more than 20 years of organized basketball, with a dad and a teacher telling me,’ OK, we’re playing from the inside out. ‘ “
He added: “For me, it was a really difficult adaptation.”
Love later discussed how, being the third star, she got more heat.
“I went from being an All-NBA, an All-Star guy to being the third option, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, I looked [Chris] Bosh, I looked at it pretty closely. Who hasn’t watched those Miami teams? “But maybe I can learn something from him.” But it was just that each team has a different trick, “said Love.” It was a hell of a period of adjustment for me, from going from a guy who fired nearly 20 shots per game … to basically being demoted as a shooter. from 3 points. “
Despite having to completely change her game, Love ultimately said she wasn’t going to change it for the world. He got to play for the leagues with two incredible players.
Can it help the Cleveland Cavaliers become a winning team again?
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The Cavaliers eventually traded Kyrie Irving in August 2017 and LeBron James signed with the LA Lakers in the summer of 2018.
Since James’ departure, Love and the Cavaliers have struggled. He only played 22 games in 2018-19 averaging 17 points per game and 10.9 rebounds. The Cavaliers eventually went 19-63 that season. This year, before the NBA suspended his season, Love averaged 17.6 points per game and 9.8 rebounds. The Cavaliers went 19-46.
However, they could greatly improve in 2020-21. The Cavs traded for Andre Drummond about a month before the league suspended his season, and they have the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NBA draft.
If Love and Drummond can be valuable pieces in the paint for the Cavs and can effectively lead the young boys, then the Cavaliers definitely have a chance to return to winning basketball games in 2020-21.
Statistics courtesy of Basketball Reference
