Cavs Player Grades: Kevin Love excels in move to bench role

Love’s overall play for the Cavs in 2021-22

It’s tough to be too critical of how Love played this season for the Cavaliers. His move to the bench as a supersub did wonders for his individual play, based on how he efficient he was in his minutes-share, and him being healthy was huge for him and the team.

It was awesome to see Love provide a hell of a spark for the Wine and Gold this year off the bench as a catch-and-shoot player, as we alluded to, and even with him being an expiring player after next season and set to turn 34 in September, maybe he could stick around.

We’ll have to see if he and the team would be able to iron something out, but the thought doesn’t appear that far-fetched now, or maybe he could emerge as an expiring asset. I’ll table that for now.

Anyway, when touching on Love’s overall grade for this season, with both ends in mind, with how he immensely helped the Cavaliers offense, and his team defense being far better than in recent seasons past, I’m going to give Love two virtual pats on the back. That’s with his defensive rebounding being excellent in his respective role off the bench, too.

Love’s 2021-22 overall grade: A-

The dude was a finalist for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, and I can’t say I expected that sort of play from him at the season’s outset. Who the hell did, honestly? I’m going with an A- grade for Love in 2021-22.