I’m not going to say that things have exactly gone as planned since Kevin Love signed a massive four-year extension with the Cleveland Cavaliers. During that time, two of his seasons have been shortened significantly by injury, and there’s been displays of visible frustration.
It’s safe to say that he hasn’t lived up to that $120.4 million extension. I’m not disputing that, and at times, he’s been tough to watch.
That being said, I can’t deny that for much of his time with the Cavaliers since he was acquired via trade from the Minnesota Timberwolves ahead of the 2014-15 season, Love has been a difference-maker. For his career with the Cavs, he’s had 16.4 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists per outing, and has made two All-Star appearances in 2016-17 and 2017-18, albeit with LeBron James on the roster in his second stint.
Now, again, Love’s recent seasons before this one were not nearly as impactful, but this year, in a shift to a bench role, he has looked rejuvunated, and that move has paid dividends for the Wine and Gold. He’s had 13.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per outing, and in only 22.3 minutes per contest.
Most notably, he’s connected on 39.2 percent of his three-point attempts, and, to that point, he’s set to become only the second Cav ever to hit 1,000 threes with the team. LeBron James, who recently moved to second all-time in scoring (which speaks to his incredible longevity), was the first to hit that mark for Cleveland; Love, meanwhile, is three deep balls away.
He was only 2-of-6 from three in Cleveland’s loss to James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night, but this is still something noteworthy Cavs Notes pointed out before the last Cavs game. Congrats to Cedi Osman for hitting the 500th three mark in the game with Cleveland, also.
Upcoming milestones:
— Cavs Notes (@CavsNotes) March 21, 2022
With his next three-pointer, @cediosman (499 3FG) would become the 9th @cavs player ever to record 500 3FG. @kevinlove (995 3FG) needs 5 3FG to become the 2nd player in franchise history to record 1,000 3FG with the team (LeBron James, 1,251 3FG).
This will be another impressive three-point milestone for Love with the Cavs, and it shows how effective he’s been as a stretch big with Cleveland.
The Cavaliers loss to LA was a disappointing defensive performance, with them still without Anthony Davis, too, but the Cavs still should be in good shape.
Moving past that one, given the seemingly constant trade rumors during much of his time with the Cavaliers, and with the injuries he’s had to endure, Love being on the cusp of hitting 1000 threes with the team is no small feat.
Since he was initially acquired via trade, he really leaned into becoming more of a catch-and-shoot player, as opposed to much of his time with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Love became more perimeter-oriented as a floor spacer for LeBron, Kyrie Irving and others, and while he’s still helped in the mid-post, that move paid off. It has for the likes of Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Evan Mobley and others as well.
And while injuries have limited him at times, especially in recent seasons sans LeBron, this year, his bench play has often given the Cavs a significant lift. Diddo for his rebounding, particularly defensively; in that realm, he’s also fourth on the Cavs’ all-time defensive rebounding list.
So, even with some bumpy times with the Wine and Gold, this season has been a great to watch regarding Love, and throughout the years, it’s been awesome to see him splash tons of triples.
I also can’t discount how earlier this season, Love became just the fourth player in league history to register 14000 rebounds, 8000 rebounds and 1400 made threes.
Maybe we’ll see the 33-year-old make an impact off the bench potentially in the postseason and/or once again next season.
Whether or not he’s possibly moved, with his contract being expiring after next season, it’s been a pleasure to watch Love as a knockdown shooter over the years.