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Cleveland Cavaliers: Kevin Love must shoot more

By Nathan Beighle

CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 17: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers goes to the basket against the Boston Celtics on October 17, 2017 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - OCTOBER 17: Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers goes to the basket against the Boston Celtics on October 17, 2017 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Cleveland Cavaliers will not be able to survive on LeBron James heroics all season. They must have other contributors, and it starts with Kevin Love.

In Tuesday’s season opener, the Cleveland Cavaliers showed an array of strengths, but they also showed several weaknesses. Kevin Love not being involved in the offense as much as he should be was certainly a weakness.

Love’s nine shots were the least of any starters, and he was the only starter not to his double-digit shots throughout the game. If the Cavaliers are to succeed, they will need Love to get more touches and shots. The easiest way to see that Love was underused is his usage rate. Love posted the five-highest usage rate for the Cavaliers, behind Jeff Green, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James.

However, Love’s bread-and-butter, which is rebounding, was in top form. He led the Cavs with a 19.6 rebounding percentage. Love did not get the touches he needs to on the offensive end and having such a high rebounding rate and such a low overall rate is an issue which proves that. Love, who was ranked as the 26th best player in the NBA by ESPN this past offseason, had the 95th highest usage rate after the vast majority of teams have played at least one game.

The other reason that it is pivotal to get Love the ball is that he gets to the line. One of the easiest ways to score in the NBA is at the free throw line. Love shot a team-high seven free throws and made six of those against the Celtics. The Cavaliers normally do not have trouble scoring, but Love’s ability to get to the line will be extremely vital if the Cavaliers ever go through a scoring drought.

Starting at center also allows Love mismatch opportunities. His ability to space the floor often times brings the bigger, rim-protecting centers outward. Even with them by the rim, Love has a tremendous post game that the Cavaliers have yet to utilize. Last season, Love shot 56% on shots within 3 feet of the rim. In the opener, Love made two out of three of the shots from less than five feet. Exploiting this talent should also be a large part of the Cavs’ gameplan.

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Love has an array of different skills that aren’t often found in the NBA, and the Cavaliers, moving forward, must utilize him more often.