Will Kevin Love and Rodney Hood play better without LeBron?

Two players expected to major roles for the Cleveland Cavaliers could be even better without LeBron James on the roster.

It’s long been said that LeBron James makes his teammates better, elevating their statistical output with his court vision and pushing them to their limits by leading by example. Yet, on the court, an interesting phenomenon took place with the Cleveland Cavaliers last year.

Players that came to the Cavs didn’t play like themselves and players that left the Cavs rediscovered their mojo.

It was like Space Jam 2 was being filmed right outside of Quicken Loans Arena.

To varying degrees, each of Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose and Isaiah Thomas all played better following trades to new teams. You can even count Kyrie Irving to that list since he was only traded last summer.

Conversely, Crowder, Thomas and Rodney Hood each played worse after being traded the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The difference seems to be LeBron, a player who these players had to learn to play with, for better or for worse.

It’s a blessing to play with a generational or once in a lifetime talent like LeBron but it’s also a curse for certain players.

If they’re players who are at their best in a high-usage or ball-dominant role (Hood and Irving, for instance), for instance, playing beside LeBron would mean their scoring averages and opportunities to impact the game would be significantly effected.

Ask Irving, who asked for a trade in search of a more fitting role.

Ask Hood, who entered the season looking for a major payday at the end of it.

Ask Kevin Love, who didn’t look comfortable playing beside LeBron until their third season together.

All that said, Love and Hood — the only aforementioned players still donning Wine and Gold — could play better without LeBron, as crazy as that may sound.

There’s yet to be a point in either of their careers when giving them the more responsibilities and opportunities in featured roles has made them worse players.

Look at Love’s production in the years when his usage rate was at its highest and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Excluding the season he only played 18 games, Love has posted three of his five best seasons when his usage rates were at career-highs when sorting by his win shares per 48 minutes, including his career-best (.245). He also had four All-Star appearances in that time and four of his five best seasons in terms of true shooting percentage coming in that time as well.

Hood’s scoring average and true shooting percentage have tended to improve with a higher usage rate as well.

As intelligent players with the ability to score from all three levels, the two could be surprisingly effective as both individuals and a pair next season.

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They’ve also developed a bit of on-court chemistry and can help each other tremendously. Hood, helping Love get easy opportunities with his pick-and-roll play and Love helping Hood get space to shoot with the attention he’ll draw on the block and perimeter.

Because neither player is expected to have LeBron’s level of gravity, influence or production, neither player will demand the ball so much that the contributions of the other will be effected negatively.

Speaking of LeBron, without the championship-or-bust pressure constantly looming over their heads, they’re free to play freely. That should lead more comfort, considering that the chaos and drama that surrounds LeBron can make for a tough playing environment.

Next season will be interesting for plenty of reasons. The Cavs won’t be more successful in the short run without LeBron but his departure could pay off in expected ways.