Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James Instilling Confidence In Kevin Love

LeBron James is doing everything in his power to make Kevin Love feel at home – and play like it – with the Cleveland Cavaliers

Through two games this season, statistically, Kevin Love is almost exactly where he was last season. He’s taken the exact same amount of shots (31) and has scored the exact same amount of points on those shots (35). The Cleveland Cavaliers are also 1-1, the same record that they had through two games last season.

The statistical parallels are actually quite frightening. But the perception is very much different.

It doesn’t take an NBA expert to realize that Love’s involvement in Cleveland’s offense this season, compared to last, has taken a 180 spin. While that could be attributed to the absence of Kyrie Irving for the first few weeks of the NBA season, you can also look at it as David Blatt – and LeBron James – making a concerted effort to make Love a focal point of the offense.

And if that is going to be the case for the entire year, that could pay huge dividends late in the season. It could also help save LeBron’s body. Which, I believe, is more of what’s going on here, even if LeBron keeps talking up Love – building his confidence with every word he utters.

"[via ESPN]“We’ll use Kevin however he wants to be used,” James said after Love led Cleveland with 17 points and 13 rebounds in the Cavs’ 106-76 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. “I told you Kevin is going to be our main focus. He’s going to have a hell of a season. He’s going to get back to that All-Star status.”…“He’s the focal point of us offensively,” James said. “I know I can go out and get mine when I need it. But I need Kev to be as aggressive as he was tonight, and when he rebounds at the level he did tonight, the shots will automatically fall for him.”"

Will Love be the focal point of Cleveland’s offense? Sure. Maybe.

More from Sir Charles In Charge

It’s a big part of LeBron’s maintenance program. You know, the part where he doesn’t have to carry the Cavs for the first half of the season, while Kyrie isn’t healthy enough to do his part. I think, more than anything, this is more LeBron trying to build Love’s confidence in himself and in buying into what the Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to do this season.

Cleveland was close to winning a championship last season without Love and Kyrie. If they’re going to finish the job this season, they’re going to need both Kyrie and Love – and perhaps having them playing at a very high level.

LeBron knows that in order to reach that point, he needs to do everything in his power to get Love going early this season and make him a bigger part of their offense. That’s exactly what he’s doing.

[H/T CBS Sports]

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