Kevin Love Drafted by Seattle SuperSonics

I absolutely hated Kevin Love during the college basketball season. He caused a lot of havoc for the Washington Huskies during Pac-10 play. Now is the moment for me to take back all of those mean jokes I made about his handlebar mustache and his big sweaty butt.

The Run Down:

• 2008-08 Season Averages: 17.5 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 1.4 bpg
• Height: 6'9"
• Weight: 255 lbs
• Position: PF
• Class: Freshman
• 19 years old
• Best Case Comparisons:
  • David West
  • Wes Unseld

• Worst Case Comparison: Sean May

Strengths:

• Productivity
• Strength
• Hands
• Fundamentals
• Intensity

Weaknesses:

• Size
• A little over-weight
• Lateral Quickness
• Perimeter Defense
• Potential? Upside?

My Take:

Kevin Love is projected to fall anywhere from picks five to eight. This means that the Sonics will have a definite chance of grabbing him at number four if they choose to.

Very much like Anthony Randolph, Kevin Love is an incredible talent but the Sonics simply don't need a power forward. Kevin Love is almost a clone of Nick Collison and I believe Collison is doing a great job right now as the center/forward for the Sonics.

Love is one of the most fundamentally-sound players I have ever seen. Everything he does is text-book. For example, his jump-shot form is perfect, leaving him deadly in the mid-range and even accurate from the three point line.

I think the most impressive aspect of his skill-set is his ability to seal off his defenders and gain real good position in the post (see video below). Whether he'll be able to do this against NBA defenders is in question because of his height; however, not many NBA players are as strong as this kid and he'll be hard to defend once he gets position.

While watching many Pac-10 games with UCLA and Kevin Love involved, I heard repeatedly on how amazing his outlet passes are. Outlet passes are awesome, but seriously, do I have to hear about his outlet-passing ability every time an "analyst" gives me the scouting report on Love?

Scouts should be more amazed by his relentless attack on the boards. His ability to seal off his defenders lets him easily grab a lot of offensive rebounds and his brute strength allows him to almost grab defensive rebounds at will.

The last skill that Kevin Love possesses is his post defense. Along with position and rebounding, his strength also makes it extremely difficult for players to score on him. He won't block a whole lot of shots at the NBA-level, but many taller-finesse players (think Pau Gasol) won't be able to post-up this guy.

I don't see many weaknesses in his game. Maybe the only thing that hurts him is that he doesn't have a whole lot of room to grow or improve his game. But other than that, a fundamentally-sound player like Kevin Love will make a big impact on any team he is on from the start.

Conclusion:

It will be interesting to see how Kevin Love will adapt his game when he moves from the center position to the power forward position in the NBA. But I think his strength and fundamentals will make him a solid power forward in the next level. Despite his status as one of the most NBA-ready prospects, the Sonics can't draft a forward when their most pressing need is at the point guard position.

Sources: nbadraft.net, draftexpress.com

Previous Candidates: Brook Lopez, Jerryd Bayless, Anthony Randolph, OJ Mayo

More: Kevin Love breaks backboard [YouTube]
More: Kevin Love crazy shots [YouTube]