Once Kevin Love signed a four-year, $120 million extension this offseason, it became abundantly clear that he was going to be the primary leader on the Cleveland Cavaliers roster in the post-LeBron James era.
Throughout his time with the Cavs, Love has often been seen as the second or third scoring option. Before he was traded to Cleveland, however, Love was one of the most productive big men in the NBA, averaging an impressive 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds. and 4.4 assists in his last season with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Now that Love is the sole All-Star on the Cavs roster, some predict that he will return to that kind of form. In a recent interview on CBS Sports HQ’s “Reiters Block,” Love spoke about how he’s not only focused on scoring more, but making the right plays on the court.
“It’s not like I forgot how to play basketball. I can score the ball at a high clip,” Love said. “But I’m gonna do whatever’s asked of me out there. I don’t expect to be top-five in scoring like I was, or even top-five in rebounding like I was. I’m looking to make the right play — I’m not setting those as goals, stats.
“The only thing I really care about after sacrificing so much is the win column. Will there be times when I need to put up 25 or 30 points? Sure. Will there be times when I need to clean up the glass at a very high rate in certain games? Of course. But I’m gonna be looking a lot more to facilitate like I did in Minnesota.”
In many ways, Love is the perfect star to lead the Cavs in their first season without James since 2014. Not only is he a versatile big man who can score from all over the court, he is also a mature leader who has proven time and time again that he is wiling to change his playing style to benefit the team.
It will be interesting to see whether or not Love is able to recapture the prolific production he enjoyed earlier in his career, and if it’s enough to push the Cavs into the postseason this season.
