Cavs’ Kevin Love reportedly wanting to play rest of season is right example

Kevin Love wants to close out the 2018-19 season strong for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Kevin Love appears to finally be ready to take on a considerable workload for the Cleveland Cavaliers. The toe injury he reportedly suffered early in the season is the reason he’s only been active in six games (per Basketball Reference), and now, he seems fairly ready to go.

Love is one of the key leaders on Cleveland and the Cavs’ best player, so his absence has clearly been felt on the floor. It has to be good news for Love’s teammates and coaching staff to hear this sort of mindset from Love in regards to the rest of this season, with how much they’ve missed him.

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Here’s what Love recently said when discussing his playing time expectations for the rest of 2018-19, per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor.

"“I think you’ll see me more on a steady basis and not miss games after the break, I’m hoping,” Love said following Wednesday’s practice. “So just continue to improve the minutes and make sure that I’m feeling good and go from there.”"

I’d say Love being active for the last 24 games of the season is pretty optimistic, but I would imagine that’d mean the world to his teammates and the organization, anyhow.

Love being able to consistently build up his minutes-share will be a solid way to progress into the offseason, and hopefully, that aforementioned statement about him potentially not missing any more complete games to the media isn’t totally unrealistic.

Love has worked diligently in his rehab to get back to the floor, and head coach Larry Drew expressed that, which shows how Love is still fully committed to the Cleveland Cavaliers (again, per Fedor).

"“I think he has done a magnificent job in the way he has conducted himself and he has stayed the course with his rehab through his injury,” Drew said. “I know how bad he wants to be out there, but things happen and you have to push through them, which he has done. Now he’s able to play. He’s gradually getting his legs under him and gradually getting to the point where he can play extended minutes. I’m certain that once he is able to get out there and really play extended minutes he’s going to make the most of it.”"

Love has not had the season he and the Cavs would have hoped for from him, but him potentially playing 30 or so minutes in coming games is a big step in relation to him getting back to his best.

Love would also detail to the media Wednesday why he believes the Cleveland Cavaliers will close the season strong, with the “fight” of teammates being a crucial reason for that, h/t Basketball Insiders’ Spencer Davies.

It’s been encouraging to see players such as Jordan Clarkson (who leads Cleveland in scoring with 17.2 points per game, per Basketball Reference), Cedi Osman, Collin Sexton, Larry Nance Jr., and David Nwaba (when he’s played) have success in what has been a really tough for the Cleveland Cavaliers with Love out, though.

With Love, a five-time All-Star, getting himself back on the floor for big minutes in coming games, that’s the right way for a veteran leader to set the example to close out the season after a tough year individually and for the team (with a bottom three record, per NBA.com) overall.