Cavs' Kevin Love to Be Evaluated Daily After Thumb Injury Diagnosed as Fracture

Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love suffered a hairline fracture in his right thumb and will be evaluated daily, per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.

Love, a five-time All-Star, settled nicely into a bench role last season. Through 74 games in 2021-22, he averaged 13.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 39.2 percent from three-point range. Heading into 2022-23, Love told Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com he's "never had so much fun coming into work."

This year, he's posting 11.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists for the 9-6 Cavs, who sit fourth in the Eastern Conference after their offseason trade for star guard Donovan Mitchell.

Last season was the healthiest Love has been in quite some time. The 34-year-old veteran had struggled to stay healthy in previous years. He was limited to 25 games in 2020-21 because of a calf injury.

After signing a four-year, $120 million contract extension prior to the 2018-19 season, Love suffered a foot injury that forced him to miss 60 games that year.

The UCLA product is the only player remaining from Cleveland's 2016 NBA championship team. The Cavaliers chose not to trade him or buy him out because he remains an integral veteran presence in the locker room. Love is making $28.9 million in the final year of his contract this season.

Cleveland has a frontcourt full of youngsters with Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley, who are already seeing a hefty amount of playing time. Mobley finished second in Rookie of the Year voting last season with averages of 15.0 points and 8.3 rebounds.

The Cavaliers will continue to lean on their young forwards while Love is sidelined.