Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 predictions for the 2019-20 NBA season

1. Kevin Love, All-Star caliber season

The Cleveland Cavaliers will only go as far as Kevin Love can take them. The five-time All-Star has had his reputation demolished in recent years but he still has a chance to redeem himself.

For his career in Cleveland, Love averages solid numbers of 17.1 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. Despite this, he has been the scapegoat for nearly all of the team’s failures and is deemed washed up by many fans.

This feels unjust for a player who has consistently laid it all on the line for the Cavaliers. He has been plagued by injury for most of his career but has managed to contribute to multiple Finals runs and was significant in bringing a championship to the franchise in the 2015-16 NBA season.

Of course, Love is in a different position now with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving gone. The Cavaliers are now his team and it is his responsibility to lead the franchise. This is a tall task for an injury-prone player entering his 12th NBA season.

We all know that Love isn’t capable of leading a team to a championship. He may not even be able to take Cleveland to the postseason as the main guy. However, he is still talented enough to reach an All-Star game if health is on his side.

In 22 games for the Cavaliers last season, Love put up 17.0 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. This came during a time when he was adjusting to being the focal point of the offense again. It was clear that he was not fully prepared for this responsibility and was inconsistent at times.

This season, Love will have help offensively with an explosive duo in Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. This should make it easier for Love to grow comfortable and begin punishing teams in the low post and on the 3-point line.

If Love is capable of staying healthy for the first half of the season, we can expect him to average upwards of 20 points and 10 rebounds. As long as the Cavaliers are somewhat competitive at this point, Love could very well reach the All-Star team.

Even if Love isn’t officially selected to the All-Star team, we can hope for an All-Star caliber season from him. He is still an elite talent offensively and a great rebounder. A healthy Kevin Love will go a long way for the Cavaliers this season.