Cavaliers: Three goals for Kevin Love for post-All-Star break

Post-All-Star goal #2 for Love: Average less than 2.0 turnovers/game

Love is one of the Cavs’ best passers, and he has shown that throughout his time with the Wine and Gold. This year, he’s again demonstrated that with 3.0 assists per game, which is a solid number for a 4 man and is second on Cleveland, according to NBA.com.

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The issue has been the giveaways with Love, as I hit on earlier this season, and with Cleveland as a team having the highest turnover rate in the league this season, which has coincided with them playing so many young players big minutes, Love’s miscues have just exacerbated the problem.

Nevertheless, while it’s understandable that Love and Drummond might take some time to get their fit down in settled offense, Love has still turned it too often for a bunch of this season.

Granted, with the defensive attention he draws from opposing defenses, combined with several young players on the floor a considerable amount of games with him, I can see how that’s been the case.

Love has done a much better job as of late in regards to having less cough-ups, though.

While on the season, Love having 2.5 turnovers per game is too many for a big of his skill (on a turnover rate of 12.4), in my opinion, and with some proving very costly, in his last 15 games, Love has had 1.8 turnovers per outing, compared to those aforementioned 3.3 assists. His turnover rate has been just 8.6 percent, too.

To me, with the offensive rebounding ability of the Cavaliers, which includes Drummond now, and Thompson and Larry Nance Jr. in there with Love in some instances, some of Cleveland’s best offense at times has been offensive rebounding leading to extra opportunities resulting in kickouts or quick big-to-big deliveries.

So to me, while I love Kevin’s outlet passes as much as the next guy to Sexton, Osman or at times, KPJ, there’s no need for Love to force those when multiple defenders are back, or try to thread the needle unnecessarily when those dishes clearly aren’t there to cutters in halfcourt offense. He’ll do enough as a playmaker for the Cavaliers just from his gravity as as a scorer alone, and the high-low passes will still be there for him.

Moreover, K-Love averaging less than 2.0 turnovers per outing will help the Cavaliers a good deal in staying competitive the rest of the way because it would also help their younger pieces not be in unfavorable transition defensive situations, where they’ve continually struggled all year after live-ball turnovers or even just after opposing defensive rebounds.

Lastly, my third post-All-Star goal for Love is related to the Cavs being competitive hopefully on most occasions as well.