Out of all the surprises on the Cavaliers roster, perhaps the biggest was Kevin Love turning things around on and off the court.
Cavs will once again rely on Love off the bench to stretch the floor, rebound and make smart passes. He operates as a sort of hub, meaning that the offense usually went through him in some capacity.
The 34-year-old had a renaissance 2021-2022 campaign, demonstrating just how effective he still is when healthy and how well his skillset suits the Cavaliers’ needs.
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Check out here the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA 2022-23 Roster
Love had a usage rate of 23.3% last season, per Cleaning the Glass — highest since 2016-17, meaning when he was on the floor with the bench. That may not be the case this upcoming season, as the team has some more depth, but it still has somewhat high usage.
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That being said, the Cavs will have to rely on playmaking and smart shot selection to generate points with the bench squad. Love can help with both of those areas, as he is an excellent passer and a knockdown shooter. Players like Isaac Okoro, Dylan Windler and Dean Wade are either limited isolation scorers or reliant on others finding them. While Ricky Rubio and Raul Neto should be able to do that, Love is also more than capable. Defense swarms Love on a three-point attempt or in the post? He can make the extra pass and find the open man.
Having more capable playmakers like Donovan Mitchell, Rubio, and Neto on the roster this upcoming season should help Love out too. He benefits from astute passers finding him off of screens and as a trailer on the break for a pull-up three. He was assisted on nearly all of his threes from last season, and that will ring true once again. Mitchell can collapse a defense as well, which makes Love even more dangerous.
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