Heat’s Kevin Love staying ready after role change: ‘I still have good basketball ahead of me’
Kevin Love opened the season as the Miami Heat’s backup center. Now, Love is trying to work his way back into the Heat’s rotation.
Accepting a diminished role isn’t easy, even for a veteran in his 17th NBA season like Love. But Love is taking it all in stride, with rookie Kel’el Ware replacing Love as the Heat’s backup center in recent games.
“Just to stay ready,” Love said of the Heat coaching staff’s message to him. “I know that they want to give a look to Kel’el. He’s been so great in practice and just continuing to work. So I’m just taking the vet approach right now, staying ready and staying in shape. But then just trying to lift up my teammates where I can.”
Love, 36, played in each of the first 15 games he was available for this season as the Heat’s backup center. But Love has since fallen out of the Heat’s rotation, with Saturday’s 120-110 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena marking his third straight DNP-CD (did not play, coach’s decision) despite being in uniform and available.
That has Love altering his routine, making up for his lack of playing time by going through strenuous workouts after games he doesn’t play in to stay in game shape.
“Just trying to keep as many reps as I possibly can,” Love said. “Get some cardio in, get a lift after the game and then just continuing to stay out there on the court. Just chase the game. It sounds simple, but just play your sport. Just continue to get out there and get to the gym and put in the time.”
Even though Ware has taken Love’s minutes, Love continues to serve as a mentor for Ware and other Heat teammates as the oldest and longest-tenured NBA player on the roster.
“I always talk about planting seeds, and leaving the locker room and leaving the jersey in a better place,” Love said ahead of the Heat’s matchup against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Sunday (7 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Sun) to close its three-game trip. “That’s something that I’ve had to learn. I didn’t have that great vet my first six years in the league. And then I got to Cleveland, and I had James Jones, I had Richard Jefferson, I had Channing Frye, I had Lebron [James], I had guys like that that were great for me. So that’s what I want to be, that’s aspirational for me.”
Ware, who was selected by the Heat with the 15th overall pick in this year’s draft, is taking advantage of Love’s wisdom.
“I see the rookie and he’s been taking his seat right next to me on the bench and asking questions,” Love said. “I personally love that because just having the presence of mind to even do that and want to learn from guys like Bam [Adebayo], guys like myself, Malik [Allen], Caron [Butler], that makes it easy for me to play this role.”
Love has averaged six points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 36.9 percent from the field and 36.7 percent from three-point range in 15 appearances this season, with the Heat outscoring opponents by three points per 100 possessions with him on the court. Love has missed 11 games this season because of personal reasons and back spasms.
“Stay ready, keep the reps up,” Love said of his approach, as he waits for his next opportunity for in-game action. “In this league, it’s always game to game, it’s fluid, sometimes you’re a play away. You never like to see that happen, but you have to stay engaged in every way that you can.”
This is relatively new for Love, though, after playing in 55 of the 60 games he was available for last regular season. He signed a two-year contract worth $8 million to return to the Heat in free agency this past summer.
“I know I still have good basketball ahead of me,” said Love, a five-time NBA All-Star who won an NBA championship with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. “I don’t think I’m an 82-game guy anymore. But certainly, just help wherever the team needs me, whether that’s on the court or away from the court.”
Love also understands that Ware’s athleticism and length as a 7-footer brings something new to the Heat’s rotation behind starting center Bam Adebayo. While Love is a three-point floor spacer on the offensive end who protects the rim by drawing charges at this point of his career, Ware is a lob threat who entered Sunday with eight alley-oop dunks and eight blocks in 123 minutes this season.
“He just gives us a completely different look that we haven’t had,” Love said.
INJURY REPORT
The Heat will be without Duncan Robinson on the second night of its back-to-back set on Sunday against the Rockets because of right foot inflammation after he logged 38 minutes in Saturday’s loss to the Hawks. It marks just the second game that Robinson has missed this season.
Robinson hurt his foot during Saturday’s game in Atlanta, but kept playing to finish the contest. After Robinson underwent treatment on the injury Sunday, the determination was made to hold him out against the Rockets.
The Heat also remains without Jimmy Butler (return to competition reconditioning), Josh Richardson (right heel inflammation) and Dru Smith (left Achilles surgery) for Sunday’s game in Houston.
This story was originally published December 29, 2024 at 10:58 AM.
