Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 players poised for breakout years in 2018-2019
The Cleveland Cavaliers have a few players who could be breakout stars next season.
In the Cleveland Cavaliers’ new era, everything is a relative unknown. LeBron James was at the center of their franchise and their sun-like superstar keeping the planets in orbit.
However, without James, the Cavs have to find a new star. A star that won’t be expected to replace his presence single-handedly but be looked at by the franchise as a guiding light.
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After James’ move to Los Angeles, there are (at least) three players who can make the star-level impact that the franchise needs immediately.
The biggest question isn’t who they are. It’s whether or not they’ll succeed.
1. Kevin Love
Thrust into the role of the go-to scorer for the first time since being traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2014, Cleveland Cavaliers forward-center Kevin Love gets another chance to show the league that he’s a force to be reckoned with when he’s the first option.
A supremely talented scorer who can knock down shots from the low-post to well beyond the arc, a breakout season for Love requires him to average at least 20.0 points per game and lead his team to a playoff berth.
Pushing his scoring average to around 25.0 points per game will do wonders for his current reputation.
He averaged 26.1 points per game at his peak and, although there are a few perimeter players who need their touches in a guard-driven league, he could approach that level with enough field goal attempts per game.
Love, a five-time All-Star, has been heavily criticized since arriving in the Land. Some criticisms, even from teammates, were unwarranted.
However, the Love that sulked throughout his first year in Cleveland deserved criticism for a lack of aggressiveness and putrid defense.
The Love that lost too much weight in the 2015 offseason and could barely buy a bucket in the low-post in 2015-2016 season deserved criticism as well, especially with a few pedestrian performances in the 2016 NBA Finals.
For the last two seasons, the primary criticism of Love has been his pick-and-roll defense.
That criticism is fair as well.
With that said, explosive offense is all Love needs to be a breakout star next season but improving his pick-and-roll defense, even incrementally, would be the proverbial icing on the cake.