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2 realistic expectations for Cavs’ Kevin Love in 2022-23

By Quinn Minnich

Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images
Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images /
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Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by David Richard-USA TODAY Sports) /

#1: Being in the running for Sixth Man of the Year….again

Like I mentioned earlier, I do think Love will be off the bench for the majority, if not all games. I still believe he’ll be very impactful for the Cavs next season, even if he is the primary sixth man and not a starter.

If he is in the running for the Sixth Man of the Year award, do I think he’ll win it? Probably not, to be honest. There are multiple players I think have the ability to win this award. My pick for the award, however, is going to the Golden State Warriors’ Jordan Poole. Chances are, their lineup will look like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and Kevon Looney/James Wiseman. Poole is a better scorer and playmaker than Love, and should have the ball in his hands more than Love, so I think he will win.

That said, I still think that Love has the ability to be in the top three of the award race. Who else could be in the running for this award? I believe players like Cameron Johnson, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Malcolm Brogdon (if he comes off the bench for the Boston Celtics), or Luke Kennard. Maybe I’m right, maybe I’m wrong. It’s hard to predict awards before the season even starts, so I’m not going to bet any money on any of this.

Anyway, I do think Love still has a good chance to be a great sixth man, and one of the league’s best this next season. I think maybe a solid 25-28 minutes a night, while also putting up a statline of roughly 12 points, 7 rebounds, and perhaps 2 assists, while also shooting 37% from 3 and playing around 65 or more games is feasible.