Kevin Love: Still cold in White Hot

The Cleveland Cavaliers made the right choice by moving on from Kevin Love, the last remaining player from the 2016 title team. The buyout agreement between the two sides was a bit of a shock it seemed, but with Love wanting opportunity on the floor and having been out of the rotation, that’s what eventually occurred. A thumb injury didn’t help, either, but Love had seemed to be out of rhythm for some time even before that as well.

The Miami Heat struggled before he and Cody Zeller signed, and that’s still the case. After his six starts, Love’s shooting splits are worse than it was in Cleveland while logging a couple more minutes per game, and Miami’s record is 2-4.

Love has still been cold playing for the squad in South Beach.

It might have been a surprise for Cavs fans to see Love start immediately for the Heat after he was permanently confined to the bench in Cleveland. Desperation is why Cleveland’s ex so quickly turned into one head coach Erik Spoelstra’s trusted eight. The Heat has been one of the three worst perimeter shooting teams this season. Last year, Miami was #1 in that category.

Kevin Love’s lethal marksmanship has not returned. He is converting 25.8% from 3-point range on 5.2 attempts. The five-man rotation of Gabe Vincent, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Love, does not shoot well either from deep. Still, it has slightly made his teammates’ lives easier because he is still a fine rebounder and passer, however.

The Heat was 27th in pace in January and February. In the last six games, Miami has improved to the 22nd-fastest team in the NBA. It’s the result of Love tracking a defensive board and hitting a player at midcourt in stride and Adebayo getting downhill quickly after a rebound too.

In the win over Atlanta, Love’s hit-ahead pass to Butler allowed JB and Herro to weave around Dejounte Murray on a two-on-one break for two points. When two defenders overwhelmed Young in ice coverage, Love intercepted the pass intended for Onyeka Okongwu in the middle that started Miami’s prettiest possession of the night- a three-on-one tsunami that left Saddiq Bey dazed and confused.

The real value in Kevin Love as a starter is that it allows Caleb Martin, one of Miami’s few two-way wings, to move to the bench and strengthen the thin reserve group. The tradeoff for making Martin a sixth or seventh man and eliminating the ability for one starter to switch defensively was supposed to be Love’s long-range accuracy. In the win over the Hawks on Saturday, he logged two out of seven shots from beyond the arc. Four of his misses were makeable courtesy of the space provided by a pindown or late closeout.

Miami is counting on Kevin to find his stroke, for now. The Cavaliers couldn’t afford to wait, and he was unhappy in his latest role anyway. It would have been a mistake for head coach J.B. Bickerstaff to keep Love in the rotation because Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are its future, and others more viable on defense were involved.

The guard changed with the wind, and if I were a betting man, I’d wager the Heat won’t bring him back next season, either. That’s partially on Love for not performing to the level some expected (not I), but Miami was underachieving long before he signed with them.

Significant changes are likely coming for that outfit.