Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers has come a long way in his 14 years in the NBA.
When he first started, he was a quiet, skinny, tall kid who was able to easily grab rebounds, dunk, and help his team space the floor.
Now he’s a five-time All-Star, a NBA champion, and a two-time All-NBA star.
Kevin Love's highlights from the 2008 Summer League 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/6ZMavMFXDf
— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2022
Looking back at Love playing in the 2008 Summer League, you see a much younger-looking player who already had some explosiveness and drive.
You also see someone with a lot of potential.
Now, all these years later, Love is actually playing some of the best basketball of his career.
Loving Love
Love was drafted by the Memphis Grizzlies as the fifth pick in the first round of the 2008 NBA Draft.
But he was quickly sent over to the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he played his first six seasons.
He started his career with an average of 11.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 1 assist a game.
He was a great rookie and one of the most exciting young players in the league.
His star rose even more when he moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2014 season.
It was there that Love found his truest success – and his only championship ring alongside LeBron James and Kyrie Irving.
Even though James and Irving left that team, Love stuck around.
He’s older now and you would think he’s be slower and less productive.
In many ways, he is – however, Love is now an on-court coach who is imparting wisdom and expertise to the young, up-and-coming squad he plays with.
He is obviously having an impact on those youthful players and is actually averaging 13.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists a game.
Love is a lot older than he was during his first Summer League games – but he’s a lot wiser too.
NEXT: 3 Keys For Ricky Rubio In His 2nd Stint With The Cavaliers