Caleb Love, who emerged as an exciting story for the Trail Blazers last season, has signed a new two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers, ending his tenure with Portland after just one year.
Love isn’t a perfect player, but his strengths are things the Blazers need more of. Given they haven’t done anything else this offseason so far to address their weaknesses on the perimeter, letting Love walk could end up being a regrettable decision.
Caleb Love looked like a real gem for the Blazers at times
Love’s rookie year -- within the context of him being an undrafted guy on a two-way deal -- was a very strong one. In 49 games, he averaged 10.4 points, 1.9 threes, and 2.5 assists. He initially started seeing real minutes because of injuries, but he earned the right to stay in the rotation as long as he did.
The Arizona product finished 16th in total points amongst all rookies last season. Everyone above him was both drafted and on a standard contract from day one. Love was a big revelation no matter what way you shake it. He didn’t receive any All-Rookie votes, but that could’ve been different had the Blazers not opted to end his campaign early by not converting him once his two-way eligibility was exhausted.
Generally speaking, Love is the type of guy you just shouldn’t quit on this soon. When it comes to undrafted two-way players, teams are playing with house money. It’s hard to find genuine contributors on the margins, but the best teams in the league all do it. Cheap production is huge in the second apron era. Love showed the makings of a hidden gem, and if he eventually becomes one, the Blazers will be wishing it was with them.
Portland desperately needs players with Love’s strengths
Love certainly has serious flaws. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have gone undrafted to begin with. His biggest red flag is his inefficiency: as a rookie, he shot just 38.8% from the field and 31.8% from three. He’s overly three-point reliant, evidenced by him averaging only 1.0 free throw attempt per game and taking 12.2% of his field goals at the rim.
But, here’s the thing: the Blazers desperately need shooters, especially after the Ja Morant trade that involved sacrificing Jerami Grant. They have a surplus of inside-the-arc downhill scorers and nowhere near enough spacing to balance things out. Only Damian Lillard can be pointed to as a true three-point threat on this roster. We’re talking about a team that shot 30.2% from deep with only one rotation piece (Scoot Henderson) shooting above league average in the playoffs here.
Sure, the ball doesn’t go through the net as much as you’d like for Love, but at least he’s willing to let them fly and force defenses to respect his presence out there. He can, after all, get really hot and drain several shots in quick succession with ease.
It’s quite possible that Love fizzles out of the league within a year or two. But there’s also a legit chance he sticks around as a coveted role player, and it feels like the Blazers should’ve been the ones to figure it out.Â
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