LeBron James Comments on Kevin Love's Role in Cavaliers Offense
Kevin Love experienced statistical regression during his first season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but LeBron James believes the three-time All-Star is primed to return to form after he signed a five-year, $110 million deal to stay in Northeast Ohio.
"I just think he's more comfortable in the situation that he's in," James said Wednesday, according to ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin. "He's got a year under his belt; he knows what he expects out of himself and what his teammates expect out of him. I expect big things from him this year with a year up under his belt."
Last season, Love averaged 16.4 points and 9.7 rebounds while shooting 36.7 percent from three, numbers that would have been superb for most stretch big men. However, those figures represented a dip from Love's days in Minnesota, when he thrived as the centerpiece of less prolific Timberwolves teams.
| 2008-09 | 25.3 | 11.1 | 9.1 | 45.9% | 10.5% | 18.3 | 21.0 | 7.6 |
| 2009-10 | 28.6 | 14.0 | 11.0 | 45.0% | 33.0% | 20.7 | 22.4 | 7.7 |
| 2010-11 | 35.8 | 20.2 | 15.2 | 47.0% | 41.7% | 24.3 | 22.9 | 8.7 |
| 2011-12 | 39.0 | 26.0 | 13.3 | 44.8% | 37.2% | 25.4 | 28.8 | 9.8 |
| 2012-13 | 34.3 | 18.3 | 14.0 | 35.2% | 21.7% | 17.9 | 28.9 | 6.9 |
| 2013-14 | 36.3 | 26.1 | 12.5 | 45.7% | 37.6% | 26.9 | 28.8 | 6.8 |
| 2014-15 | 33.8 | 16.4 | 9.7 | 43.4% | 36.7% | 18.8 | 21.7 | 7.1 |
During the 2013-14 season, Love averaged a whopping 26.1 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists while knocking down 37.6 percent of his triples for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
"He will do some of the things he did prior to last year," James said, per McMenamin.
Despite a relatively underwhelming first season with the Wine and Gold based on Love's lofty standards, the 27-year-old was still among the league's most dynamic bigs. Specifically, Love and LaMarcus Aldridge were the only players to average at least 15 points and nine rebounds while shooting better than 35 percent from three (minimum 50 attempts).
Love was also one of the Association's most efficient post-up scorers. According to Synergy Sports (via NBA.com), Love scored on 50.5 percent of his post-ups last season, more than Aldridge, Al Jefferson, Marc Gasol, DeMarcus Cousins and Blake Griffin.
"No question, this summer we looked for and identified ways that we can take advantage of Kev's unique skill set, and hopefully we'll see that on the floor," head coach David Blatt said Wednesday, per McMenamin.
After undergoing surgery to repair a dislocated left shoulder suffered in Game 4 of the 2015 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the Boston Celtics, Love appears ready to turn things up a notch with the regular season just around the corner on Oct. 27.
Love told reporters his shoulder "feels great," per the Akron Beacon Journal's Jason Lloyd, and with the Cavaliers actively looking to get him involved in new ways, the reigning Eastern Conference champions could boast a more potent offense than they did down the stretch last season.
And since Kyrie Irving's without a timetable for return from knee surgery, per the Associated Press' Tom Withers, and Iman Shumpert's sidelined 12 to 14 weeks after undergoing right-wrist surgery, Love's role could be slated to balloon significantly when the team's 2015-16 action gets underway.
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