Kevin Love Leads The NBA In A Surprising Defensive Stat

Kevin Love is becoming a big part of the Cleveland Cavs defense as he leads the NBA in charges drawn.

Tommy Wild | Nov 11, 2022

Kevin Love Leads The NBA In A Surprising Defensive Stat /

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Cleveland Cavaliers

Who says players get worse on the defensive end with age?

Sure, physically over time a player may not be able to keep up like they used to. However, there are also certain guys that just get wiser on the defensive end as they accumulate more miles in the NBA.

That's exactly what we're seeing with Kevin Love and what he brings to the defensive end for the Cavs.

Love has never been known for his defense. In fact, he's probably known more for how he's hurt his teams with his defensive ability which certainly leaves room to be desired.

But in the past few years, he's found quite the niche that's turning into a valuable part of the Cavs' game plan.

So far this season Love has been a master at drawing charges. He's taken 10 of them this season which is the most in the NBA. This also comes out to averaging just about 1.0 (0.91) per game. Clint Capela has drawn the second most with eight.

Something to consider is that Love isn't playing the same number of minutes that he used to. This makes his 10-drawn charges even more impressive. His 1.61 charges drawn per 36 minutes also rank at the top of the league too.

Love's ability to transform his game while focusing on his basketball IQ rather than his physical ability is exactly what successful veterans do.

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