After finishing the season with a 19-63 record with the Cleveland Cavaliers — the second worst standing in the entire league — this is the first year Kevin Love has missed the playoffs since joining the Cavs back in 2014.
Love recently spoke with Joe Vardon of the Athletic, and the former NBA champion discussed what exactly this recent shortcoming means to him.
“Being off, it’s tough being a competitor and having to watch (the playoffs),” Love told The Athletic. “Once you get a taste of playoff basketball and championship-level basketball it’s hard to take a step back. You always want it.”
It’s hard not to feel for Love here, as he experienced first hand how quickly the tides turned for Cleveland — from playing in the pinnacle of the NBA in the Finals, to literally one of the worst teams in the league in the span of just a few months.
Then again, Love’s optimism allows him to see a bit of silver lining from his unusually early summer vacation.
“But I’m thankful to be able to reassess where I’m at — body and game — and thankful I have off-court opportunities I can work on like my (charitable) fund,” he said.
Things might be different next season for Love and the Cavs, though. They are projected to receive an extremely high draft pick in the upcoming lottery, and will likely get a chance to scoop up a potentially franchise-altering prospect. Cleveland are expected to win a top 3 pick in the lottery, and if they get lucky, they could end up crossing paths with no less than Zion Williamson.
This was indeed a miserable year for Love and his team, but it is without question that the future is looking bright for the Cavs.