Goal #3: Return to his dominant, passing self
The Minnesota Kevin Love might not return this season or ever but hopefully, a shadow of that former player breaks through. In his last season with the Wolves, Love put up 4.4 assists per game. His next season in Cleveland, he averaged less than half of that. But, there is hope, especially with this playbook re-arranged to have him involved more often.
According to Zach Lowe of ESPN, Tyronn Lue said that Love will be looking at more elbow touches this upcoming season. Later in that same article, Lowe said this about Love’s overshadowed passing ability.
"There is some low-hanging fruit. Love was one of the league’s three or four best facilitators from the elbows during his Minnesota prime; he averaged almost 12 elbow touches per game in 2013-14, trailing only Marc Gasol, per SportVU data. He touched the ball there just 2.8 times per game last season. Letting Love survey things, teammates whirring around him, unlocks his elite passing."
Love is the key to an even more efficient offense for the Cavaliers. His elite passing ability will be crucial. This past season was the first time since Love’s rookie year that his assist rate fell below 10%. It’s obvious that for Love’s skill set he was often times forgotten.
Returning Love to his peak form will be the top concern for the Cavaliers, and they will do this by giving him the ball at the elbow and in the post.