5. Strength at the Charity Stripe
Love has always been a good foul shooter, yet he currently sits at 85.1 percent in that category. That’s just above his 85.0 percent free-throw shooting in 2010-11, though it’s highly doubtful that Love wants to recall that season. That’s because the Timberwolves were a disastrous 17-65 on the year, finishing at the bottom of the Northwest Division.
Breaking down his foul shooting by the final score shows that an improved Love at the line likely translates into victory for Cleveland. In the team’s five losses, Love has hit 18-of-25 for an acceptable 72 percent. However, in the team’s 13 wins, he’s connecting at an 89 percent rate, at 79-of-89.
Getting Love to the foul line as much as possible is something that also in the team’s best interest. When he’s been able to take at least five foul shots in a game, the Cavs are 8-2, while anything less has given them just a 5-3 mark.
Undoubtedly, the fact that the twin burdens of having to help deliver an NBA championship and dealing with constant trade rumors have vanished for Love. That’s allowed him to simply concentrate on being the type of player that James wanted in Cleveland, with the team and fans being the beneficiary of that continued success.
