It’s been truly a bounce-back season for Cleveland Cavaliers stretch big Kevin Love in 2021-22. After he was limited to playing in only 25 games last season mostly because of a calf injury, and he’s had share of injury issues in recent seasons since signing a four-year, $120.4 million contract extension in the summer of 2018, and there’s been moments of visible frustration, this season has been a totally different story.
In a shift to a bench role, Love has looked completely rejuvunated. On the season, he’s blossomed in a supersub-type role, and has had 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
Most notably, Love’s bench sharpshooting has been a boost for the Wine and Gold. He’s connected on 39.3 percent of his three-point attempts, in which have been 6.4 attempts per contest in 22.3 minutes per outing, and he’s had a resurgent season as a finisher as a counter to that.
Now, Love’s play has not been nearly as impactful for Cleveland as say, the likes of Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen, two of whom were given All-Star nods (Garland initially and Allen as James Harden’s injury replacement). That’s not debatable, but what has become increasingly apparent is that despite the minutes reduction for Love, how he’s done off the bench is often a key bellwether for this iteration of the Cavaliers.
Love’s play has often been a crucial indicator into how this overall Cavs team has been doing.
To reiterate, I’m not suggesting that Love is nearly the most important player for the Wine and Gold, and looking onward, he’s probably not nearly as impactful as Caris LeVert, either. That’s whether or not LeVert ends up being a regular starting contributor.
That said, when Love is getting the team going in igniting runs off the bench, or taking advantage as a mid-post player, either as a player getting looks to go down or getting to the free throw line, it’s given the team a notable boost. Diddo in relation to his secondary playmaking for stretches.
Often times throughout the season for the Cavaliers, Love has provided big-time catch-and-shoot play, either as a spot-up guy, some off movement and/or in pick-and-pop situations, and that’s seemingly gotten the whole team going. Playing to the fans of the Wine and Gold, Love has ignited his share of “Cavalanches” this season, as many know, and I don’t discount that.
In 29 wins in which he’s been a part of, Love has had 15.0 points per game, and connected on 43.9 percent of his three-point attempts. His plus-minus has also been plus-9.2.
Conversely, in 21 losses this season in which he’s been active, Love’s had 13.3 points per contest, and shot only 33.3 percent from three-point land. His plus-minus has been minus-5.9 in those outings.
Granted, as we expressed, Cleveland’s performance is more contingent on the play of Garland, Mobley and Allen, realistically, and when Lauri Markkanen, when healthy, is on, it’s been big for the team.
But factoring in how Love is one of the team’s meaningful vets, even at 33, his play is often a bellwether for the overall squad. We’ve seen some of that in Cleveland’s last 15 games, regardless of when Garland has been in or not.
In that span, Love has had 14.9 points per contest, a plus-minus of plus-3.4 (second-best on the team), and he’s hit 35.8 percent from three, which has been decent still, with the spacing element involved. He’s had 7.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in 24.6 minutes per appearance then as well.
In 10 wins in that stretch, he’s had 15.8 points, canned 41.3 percent of his deep attempts, and had a plus-minus of plus-8.9, again second-best on the team, as one would assume.
In five losses in that stretch, Love’s had 13.0 points, and hit just 22.6 percent from three, and had a plus-minus of minus-7.6. That point differential is not as bad as some others in those Ls, but generally, when Love has been in a good rhythm and getting some looks to go down earlier on, it’s helped open up other guys throughout games when he’s in.
Love did have 21 points in Cleveland’s 124-116 loss at the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night, and helped keep the club in that one particularly in the first half, and he knocked in five triples; Cleveland’s defense against Trae Young and others just didn’t get the job done. That type of performance hasn’t been what’s been the trend typically we’re alluding to here with Love regarding the overall team dynamic, though.
So, to me, at any rate, with what we were outlining more so prior to that one, Love’s play, on most occasions, has often been a key indicator as to how the overall Cavaliers team is doing, win or lose, this season.
He’s usually been a very impactful contributor in his reserve minutes, objectively, on the plus side, such as in how he and Cedi Osman’s fourth quarter flamethrowing in Cleveland’s comeback on Feb. 6 spurred on a huge run and sunk the Indiana Pacers.
There are some contests where he’s off, however, he’s usually given the squad meaningful minutes, and while his contract is up after next season, I could maybe foresee him and the team coming to a reasonable extension for a season past if he holds up health-wise. The buy-in seems to be fully there now, too, for what it’s worth.
We’ll have to see, anyway. Love could perhaps be a significant postseason factor for this still young Cavs team, though.