Cavs: 3 things to watch for in the preseason opener

Cavs: 3 things to watch for in the preseason opener – Are Kevin Love and Dylan Windler healthy?

Kevin Love is a five-time All-Star, has made two All-NBA teams and was a key member of the 2016 title team. He is 77th all-time in career rebounds and 58th in career 3-pointers, a lofty combination. Even so, those totals would be significantly higher if Love had not missed 116 games over the past three seasons.

Can Love fully return from injury and be a productive member of the Cavaliers once again? Last season in the 25 games he did play he averaged just 12.2 points per game, his lowest since his rookie season, and his 7.4 rebounds per game were the lowest of his entire career. When he tried to prove he was healthy by playing for Team USA’s Olympic basketball team he was an ineffective bit piece who left prior to the Olympics in an embarrassing flop of a “return” for the big man.

The Cavs went out and replaced Love, to an extent, but bringing in Lauri Markkanen. Even so, he is a very talented offensive big man who should get minutes if he can return to something approximating his former levels. Playing well could also increase his value around the league and make it more likely he is no longer on the Cavaliers by the end of the season.

Joining Love in the doctor’s office frequently over the last two seasons was Dylan Windler. After the Cavs took him in the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft, Windler has missed all but 31 games over the two seasons since. Windler has the skillset to be a ball-handling, sharpshooting wing, the kind of player this roster desperately needs. He has come into camp talking and acting like he is fully healthy. Is that the case? And will he simply get injured again shortly?

Both players have a lot to offer this roster if healthy, especially as shooters to help modernize an offense that ranked last in 3-point shooting last year. If and how much they play in the preseason opener will provide a glimpse into where each player stands.