3 Cavs players trending up moving further into January

No. 2: Kevin Love

Kevin Love is starting to pick it up of late. Following him working some rust off after missing time at points because of injury ailments, with the last having been a thumb injury, he’s started to find his rhythm again at the right time, and has been big on the boards.

In Love’s last seven games, he’s had 11.3 points per contest, and has added 8.9 rebounds in 25.2 minutes per appearance.

He was zero-of-nine versus the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night from three, but in that stretch, he’s still connected on 39.5 percent of his three-point attempts, and in two spot starts in Cleveland’s last two outings against the Bulls, he’s chipped in a 20-point game on New Year’s Eve and a 12-point, 17-rebound game on Monday night. Love’s five deep balls on Saturday all were big in a one-point win, too.

Love did foul out Monday, and was three-of-nine from three, but his rebounding was crucial, and generally, as he’s gotten healthier, his shooting has given the Cavaliers a lift in bench stretches.

The spacing from him has continually made a difference for Cleveland’s drivers and the likes of Jarrett Allen, too, and when Ricky Rubio returns, that should pay dividends for a shooter of Love’s caliber. The same goes for when Darius Garland is re-acclimated, also.