The Cavaliers need to rethink Kevin Love’s role

Let’s look at why that is.

There’s no denying it: Love is one of the worst big men in the league at protecting the rim, allowing a 67.2 percent field goal percentage within six feet. Part of Love’s struggles comes down to physical limitations -- he doesn’t have the length or the quickness to cover ground -- but there are also bad habits in play, as he doesn’t even try to contest shots at times. Other poor defensive big men have the benefit of sharing the court with teammates that mask their flaws. Love doesn’t have that luxury.

One reason why people were confident the Cavs were going to figure out how to use all the offensive weapons at their disposal was the system coach David Blatt was going to implement. A read-and-react offense with players who can both score and pass at an elite level was supposed to be near the top of the league in offensive efficiency. Love’s versatility was supposed to be at the center of it all. But the Cavaliers’ offense has not looked like that at all so far.

Cleveland averages 39.5 assist opportunities per game, the fifth-worst mark in the league. Instead of letting the ball flow freely, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving dominate it and often take contested pull up shots. They rank No. 11 and No. 14 in touches per game and 12th and eighth on pull up field goal attempts per game, respectively. They are good enough scorers that the Cavs still rank No. 9 in offensive rating despite having a predictable attack based on one-on-one play. But with the team’s defensive limitations -- of which Love is certainly partly responsible -- ninth is not good enough.

Last season Love ranked eighth in the league in touches per game, the highest among non-point guards. The entire Timberwolves offense relied on him. And he was fantastic in that role, balancing a high usage with great efficiency. That player was arguably the best power forward in the game. This season he ranks 27th in touches per game and his usage rate is down to a role player’s 18.9 percent. If his efficiency would have improved with a lower usage, that would have been a good trade-off. But it hasn’t.

A much larger percentage of Love’s total points are coming from three-pointers (37.7 percent) than in the paint (24 percent). Obviously, his free throw attempts per game and offensive rebound percentage have lowered as a result. The Cavs have taken only one aspect of what made Love especial on the offensive end -- his outside shot -- and have emphasized it to the extreme. As a result, a guy who was an absolute offensive beast last season is producing like a role player.

Love shares part of the blame for not being more assertive. But the two primary ball-handlers -- James and Irving -- need to look for him more often in the post or make sure the ball finds him when he’s open.

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Love will get the most flak for Cleveland’s struggles because he has disappointed the most based on past performances. But he’s the same player who scored efficiently in a huge role for Minnesota and almost led a team with no rim protector to the West playoffs. Love should take responsibility for his part in this slow start. But it might be time for David Blatt, Kyrie Irving and LeBron James to rethink the role Love will have going forward. After all, the Cavs’ season might hinge on his play.