These 2 Cavs players are set to improve in second half of the season

No. 1: Kevin Love

Kevin Love hasn’t had quite the same effect for the Cavaliers this season as he did last year. Love finished second in voting for the Sixth Man of the Year last season, when he had 13.6 points per contest, and hauled in 7.2 rebounds per game.

In 22.5 minutes per game last season, he was very efficient in his minutes-share, and in a move to a supersub-type role, it paid dividends for both him/his preservation and the team.

Now, Love has been decent this year for the Cavaliers, but he’s had a few injuries thus far, and his overall scoring splits are down. On the season, he’s had 8.9 points per contest (leading to a career-low 15.5 points per-36 minutes as well), and his three-point shooting clip is sitting at 35.8 percent. He’s recently had some ice cold games from beyond the arc.

In Love’s last eight games, he’s hit 11 of 43 three-point attempts, a 25.6 percent hit rate. That’s not exactly a gaudy clip of late for the veteran, who is one of Cleveland’s most polished perimeter shooters.

Fortunately for Love, it should be a positive that Ricky Rubio is now back, and as he gets reacclimated, their chemistry could help Love get back into a nice rhythm. Their two-man game was fruitful last season before Rubio’s injury, and they were longtime teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Generally, though, despite this rough patch of games in January for Love, not long ago, he was getting it done as the impact shooter he can still be, and if the looks are there, he should be fine. In the games to come in the seasons’ second half, one should anticipate Love to find his shooting rhythm for stretches again, and continue to be active on the defensive glass.

The 34-year-old still has gas left in the tank.