Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 stars to shine in the 2018-19 season

1. Kevin Love

Honestly, what is the one thing Kevin Love has not managed to do during his entire NBA career? NBA champion?Check. All-NBA? Check. Rebounding leader? Check. 3-Point Contest champion? Check.

One thing seems to be left in Love’s to-do-list, and that is under the title “Lead a team into the playoffs.”

Before becoming a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Love was without a doubt a top-10 player in the entire NBA, posting up Karl Malone-like numbers before even entering his prime. Moving to Ohio limited his touches and he always seemed to be in the shadow of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.

Now with both those guys on different teams, Love is once again the star of a team, like he was during his Minnesota Timberwolves days. The guy that averaged 26.1 points per game along with 12.5 rebounds per game. The guy that the Cleveland Cavaliers chose for LeBron’s return.

Love never actually managed to crack that 20 points per game mark as a Cavalier. That might seem bad at first but it’s a really hard thing to do when you are taking just 12 shots per game. To take things into consideration, back with the T-Wolves, Love used to take 18-19 shots per game.

Will he lead this supporting cast into the playoffs? Maybe yes, maybe not. Love is just a month away from entering the fourth decade of his life, and after receiving a brand-new contract, he’s ready for the post-LeBron era in Cleveland.