Cleveland Cavaliers star Kevin Love has struggled in his first season with the Cavs, going from a team's No. 1 option to a team's No. 3 option. Love is essentially playing the role Chris Bosh played on the LeBron James-led Miami Heat, but Basketball Insiders' Nate Duncan believes there's one big difference between the two players: Bosh worked harder on defense.
Love's time in Cleveland so far has exposed his deficiencies on defense, as many predicted in the offseason it would. Making matters worse, he's been inconsistent on offense. Although Love has assumed a role similar to what Bosh played from 2010 to 2014 with James, Duncan believes there's a key difference between the two players.
Per Duncan:
"The greater issue for Love has been on defense, where the Cavs have struggled until very recently. Perhaps with the addition of (Timofey) Mozgov, Love will prove to not be quite such a sieve. We talked about rim protection earlier, and one thing I should have mentioned as well is simply actually jumping to contest when a player attempts a close shot. Lots of times, Love won't even leave his feet. Bosh worked extremely hard in Miami's frantic defensive scheme from day 1, and those first two Miami teams were awesome defensively. That's what Love is missing that Bosh had.
"Love needs to be used better on offense because that's what he brings - he's not providing a ton defensively except on the boards. He can't make up for lack of scoring and assists in other areas the way Bosh could."
Love's numbers dropped from 26.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per game last season to 17.5 points and 10.3 rebounds this season.
