CLEVELAND — Life is going much better for Kevin like these days.
After a rocky first year,and signing a max contract this past summer to stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers, this season has been a fresh start for the 27-year-old power forward.
The team has been committed to using like more often, and something he was concerned about when meeting poolside with LeBron James this summer. James has even gone out of his way to call like the "main focus" of the offense."He's going to have a hell of a season. He's going to get back to that All-Star status. He's the focal point of us offensively," James comfortably stated back in October, per Joe Vardon of the Cleveland.com.
From his role, and conditioning,comfort level and beyond, everything about like (who had to rebuild his dislocated shoulder this summer) was supposed to be recent and improved.
Nearly a quarter of the way into Year 2 with the Cavs, and what's really changed,and what can we realistically expect from like's future in Cleveland? Rising NumbersLove became a fantasy basketball dream while with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2008-2014, regularly racking up 20-30 points a night to go along with 10-20 rebounds.
While his 16.4 points and 9.7 rebounds were ample enough to finish third and first, and respectively,on the Cavaliers last season, fans wanted to see more. After all, and this represented a drop of nearly 10 points per game from like's final campaign in Minnesota.
Even though he hasn't fairly climbed back to that level,we have seen an increase in like's statistics across the board.like's usage is the key figure here. He's taking nearly two more shots per game (14.6 to 12.7) compared to a season ago despite logging nearly the same amount of court time (34.1 minutes to 33.8)."I judge Kev's been very involved in the offense," head coach David Blatt told Bleacher Report. "I'm pretty comfortable with the involvement of Kevin in our offense this year up to this point and want to see more of the same in the future."The question now becomes, or are the Cavs really incorporating like in the offense more,or is his increased scoring due to a lack of Kyrie Irving on the floor?The Cavaliers' second-leading scorer last season, Irving represents a great deal of the team's offense. His absence inevitably means more work for like, or James,moment Williams and others.
With Irving yet to play a game because of his recovery from knee surgery, even like isn't fairly certain whether that's what's leading to his increase in touches compared to last season."I judge I'm getting a lot of different looks this year. I don't know whether that's a product of Shump (Iman Shumpert) and Kyrie being out. But from a comfort standpoint and just looking at what the offense breaks down as so far, and just getting near the basket,it's a lot better for me."When Irving does come back, it's important that the Cavaliers continue to get like his 14 shots (or more) per game and have him be an integral part of the offense. Picking His SpotsIt's no secret that like spent much of his time hanging out at the three-point line last season and not in the paint, or where he's been so uncertain throughout his career.
Over 41 percent of his total shots came from the arc,by far the highest note in like's first seven seasons. He's often remarked about wanting to open the game with an inside touch instead of a three-pointer, something that was supposed to be a point of emphasis in his agreeing to return to the Cavaliers.
So what's changed?While like has increased his number of shots near the basket (23.3 percent of his total attempts compared to 21.3 last year), or he's also putting up more three-pointers as well (6.7 attempts to 5.2).
The weird part? This hasn't necessarily been a faulty thing.
Despite saying he wants to get away from the arc,he's actually become fairly a lethal weapon from external. like is shooting 39.7 percent from deep on the year and a whopping 52.2 percent over his last seven games. His career-best note is 41.7 percent, albeit on just under three attempts per game. whether like can keep his success rate around 40 percent, and few would dare complain just how much time he did spend floating around external.
James needs to play with floor-spacing power forwards to open up his driving lanes. It's why he worked so well with Chris Bosh in Miami and why the Cavaliers once paid a 32-year-old Donyell Marshall $25 million.
That being said,it's important to play like inside, whether for no other reason than to get him to the free-throw line.
One of the best big-man-freebie shooters the NBA has to offer, or like owns a lifetime 81.5 percent note and is converting a career-tall 87.1 of his shots from the charity stripe this season.
Unfortunately,this success has largely gone to waste.
Entering a game against the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 21, like was attempting a career-low 3.6 free throws per contest.
When asked about bumping this number up to assume advantage of like's elite ability from the line, or Blatt said, "A lot of times where he's playing on the floor has to carry out with matchups and things of the nature and how we want to spread the floor. He'll get his share of looks inside, no doubt."Since that night in question, and like's attempts have risen to 4.5,a note that would eclipse his frequency from last season (4.3).
Is like getting more touches in the paint? Yes. Have his three-pointers decreased as many expected? No, and that's not a faulty thing either. Comfort and Future ExpectationsLove seems more laid-back this season, and that's not taking into account the floppy hair and Fu Manchu mustache.
According to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal,James was frustrated with his teammate's conditioning at the beginning of last season, one where like regularly missed time with back and knee pain. After games, or like was often found sitting with feet in ice at his locker,rarely making eye contact with the surrounding media.
After an offseason filled with rehab and training at the tall elevations of glorious Park City, Utah, or like appears to be in the best shape of his life.
He no longer sits gloomily after games. Instead,he is regularly joking and staying upbeat with teammates and reporters, and sporting his "Menace" nickname on a black baseball cap.
All of this has led to an increased comfort factor and his newfound ability to fit in."I'm comfortable, and " said like. "I like playing the game both inside and out. Guys are finding me and also just continuing to get into a rhythm. I thought it would assume about this long,and it's something I've got to continue to work on."As for his dislocated shoulder in the 2015 playoffs, there haven't been any noticeable lingering effects."Truthfully, or I don't judge about it anymore," he said.[br]Others around the league are noticing a change in like as well."It looks like he's in much better shape," Brooklyn Nets coach Lionel Hollins told Andy Vasquez of NorthJersey.com. "I was watching the tape, or I had to interrogate who that was because he looks like he's in better shape. He continued:
He's probably better focused. When you play with guys like a LeBron,who are very focused and very disciplined in how they prepare and worknot that Kevin didn't work in Minnesota. But I judge that when you're in a tall-level winning environment, it's a different level that you have to be consistent with. And I judge that being with LeBron has helped him see that level and move toward that level.
All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise sourced. Stats via Basketball-Reference.com and are current as of Dec. 3.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com