Evaluating Caleb Love: Top PG to choose between UNC, Mizzou today

The high-scoring guard will announce at 8 p.m.

Brant Wilkerson-New | Oct 1, 2019

Isaiah J. Downing - USA TODAY Sports

Just nine days after Walker Kessler's surprise commitment to North Carolina, the Tar Heels are poised to add one of the nation's top point guards to its 2020 recruiting class as Caleb Love is set to announce his decision Tuesday at 8 p.m.

Ranked 21st overall and the No. 4 among point guards in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, Love, a 6-3, 170-pounder from St. Louis, will choose between Carolina or staying home at Missouri.

Love took an official visit to Chapel Hill on the weekend of Sept. 20, then canceled his scheduled visits to Louisville and Kansas. All 15 Crystal Ball predictions for Love are going for the Tar Heels, although Love called it "50-50" in an interview with Jason Jordan of USA TODAY on Monday.

Presuming Cole Anthony is one-and-done, Love is an ideal scoring guard to take command next season, giving the Tar Heels a third straight season with a scoring freshman guard at the helm.

Scouting Love's game:

Shooting unlocks everything

It all starts on the perimeter for Love, where he has a textbook stroke and the second a defender sags, he will step up and let it fly.

Watching his highlight film, like this one from Inside the Hall, you see this shot time and again.

Whether it's off the dribble or off the catch, Love is confident in his shot from beyond the arc. Even on the move, he gets his feet set and has great balance with a perfect release.

Of course, that draws defenders outside the arc where Love will cause havoc at the college level in pick-and-roll situations.

On this play, picture Kessler setting the screen then popping out to the wing for an easy look at a 3-pointer. Roy Williams called a similar set for Coby White and Luke Maye last season to beat Miami, allowing White the option to drive or dish to the wing. It's a deadly, unstoppable combination with a scoring guard and stretch four.

There's no way that defenders can play soft on screens vs. Love, which puts all sort of pressure on the defense, whether it's keeping him out of the lane or covering a big man rolling to the basket.

Athletic enough to...

Do anything he needs to do on the floor, whether it's getting to the basket and finishing, jumping passing lanes or putting someone on a poster.

At 6-3, 170 pounds, Love has the beginnings of a great frame. He's lean and muscular with long arms and solid height for a point guard.

Here, his defensive instincts combine with his length and athleticism to result in a ridiculous finish.

Again, excellent defensive instincts to anticipate the pass meets Love's athleticism, allowing him to get out for an easy finish.

Yep. He can elevate for a 6-3 guard.

Love has a bit of an advantage here, but great anticipation to easily beat the ballhandler to the spot, get the steal and an excellent finish.

The high-flying dunks are what will make the highlight reels, but the real value in Love's athleticism lies on the defensive end where he has the instincts and physical tools to be a tremendous defender.

That's a particularly valuable trait for a Carolina team looking to run.

Certified bucket-getter

Love is listed as a point guard, but that's only in name, as he can play either guard position and just like White and Anthony, he'll arrive at Carolina more known for his scoring than his distribution.

Some guys just have a gift for scoring from anywhere, any time.

Ultimately, Love wouldn't have to shoulder the full load at point guard, playing alongside another combo guard in Anthony Harris, while Leaky Black also figures to see some perimeter ballhandling duties during his time at Carolina.

That would free him up to do what he does best.

All of these clips come from Nike EYBL, where a high majority of guys Love faced off with will be playing college basketball.

No one can keep him from getting into the lane, and when defenders are there, he's crafty enough to finish. Not only is Love a great athlete, he has excellent footwork and body control to go with a good understanding of how to use his body to create space and get his shot off.

Areas for improvement

Largely, it depends on exactly how Love fits into a lineup.

If he's viewed as a point guard, he's going to be asked to pass more than he's used to, but he shows plenty of ability to find teammates when he does pass.

Aside from that, there's the usual amount of one-on-four offense that occasionally pops up for elite scorers at this stage of their development. Guys generally learn pretty quickly what they can and can't do at the ACC level, and if they don't, the opportunities to play one-on-any goes away quickly.

Final evaluation

Carolina had pretty good luck with a big combo guard last season in the 6-5 White and there's plenty of excitement for another in the 6-3 Anthony.

Love is similar to White in a lot of ways, building his reputation as a good shooter and lethal scorer while many had questions about his ability to run the team at point guard. That worked out pretty well for White and the Tar Heels as White steadily improved his decision-making over the course of the season.

The difference here is that if Love doesn't have to play point guard, Williams will have other options to pair him with and allow him to play off the ball and let him do what he does best.

Should he land in Chapel Hill, Love will be the first perimeter player in the 2020 class, joining Day"Ron Sharpe and Kessler in what has the potential to be the nation's top-ranked group as the Tar Heels pursue several other five-star recruits.

Follow Love on Twitter here.

Published Oct 1, 2019

BRANT WILKERSON-NEW