Kevin Love (PF, CLE) - Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 4

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 15% of leagues

ANALYSIS: Kevin Love might not be Kevin Love anymore, but he still is way more than an impactless-glue-guy a la Udonis Haslem in Miami. Love is the only remnant of Cleveland from the LBJ days of yore, pretty much like Chris Bosh was in Miami when James departed South Beach before returning home. Love, of course, is a bench player these days and he's been in that role for a while now. Not that that hasn't made wonders to his game.

Love spent last year on the pine (74 games, just 4 starts) and that's been the case for all of the early season to date. Love is playing 20 MPG leading the Cavs' second unit and taking on the backup-PF role. His efficiency on a per-minute basis has been, simply put, out of this world: 1.28 FP/min and only one game behind the league average (0.90) in a 9-point, 5-board game against the Celtics two weekends ago.

The shooting has gotten fixed of late with four games straight in which Love has attempted 10+ shots scoring field goals at a 54%+ clip. He's hit at least one three-point shot in seven of his nine games. Love is actually averaging 2.5+ 3PM a pop, a sight to behold!

Even though Love is only playing 20 MPG, he's already logged 181 minutes over the first three weeks of the season. He's the only pure reserve (no starts at all) with those many minutes played and an average of 1.25+ FP/min. All other players (starters and reserves) with those minutes and per-minute efficiency are rostered in at least 80% of all ESPN leagues.

Love is the only player in the NBA averaging a per-game 12-7-2 baseline in fewer than 20 MPG. Removing the minute restriction but adding his 2.5+ 3PM average, only Love and Jayson Tatum are currently at that level of play. Not bad company, I'd say.

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