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1. International Love |
Two weeks ago, we covered the Kansas debut of Hunter Dickinson on the Jayhawks’ foreign tour. In their Puerto Rico exhibition games, the big man showcased the entirety of what makes him special — namely, his low-post scoring, passing savvy and 3-point shooting. |
But of course, that’s only part of the story with Dickinson. His off-court antics have long depicted him as one of the more mercurial superstars in recent memory. |
Today, we’ll look at another polarizing player who also has a new home: Caleb Love. His college hoops journey is well-documented. The senior guard did everything but win a title for North Carolina his sophomore year, delivering iconic moment after iconic moment, before a junior campaign that ended in disaster. Love’s shortcomings were far from the only reason why UNC missed the tournament. But his shot selection, ill-timed turnovers and nonchalant defense all resurfaced as concerns. |
Thus, his play under Tommy Lloyd at Arizona will be one of the most intriguing storylines of the upcoming season. The Wildcats’ tour in Israel and UAE provided the first look. |
Arizona went 3-0 in international play, with Love scoring 9, 11 and 13 points in the respective contests, as Lloyd cycled through his bench. The highlights are certainly enticing — an alley-oop, a nimble reverse layup and an emphatic dunk punctuate the montage, familiar sights for Carolina fans. |
But how will his fit play out when the games count? |
One area to monitor is his transition game. It’s no secret that Lloyd wants to push the pace, but throughout Love’s career at UNC, his athleticism didn’t always translate to success in the open court. Last year, the Heels ranked just 193rd in transition effective field goal percentage, per Hoop-Math, with Love struggling as a ballhandler in those scenarios. UNC often failed to capitalize even with a numbers advantage. |
Now, Lloyd’s emphases on ball movement and motion lead to a free-flowing, uptempo attack — and that could be exactly what Love needs to elevate his game. |
But he’ll also need to improve in the half-court when the game slows down. The senior has been an average finisher, never converting higher than 50% of his attempts at the rim in three seasons. Moreover, Jaden Bradley and Keshad Johnson are unproven shooters, while Oumar Ballo has never attempted a triple in his career. This could spell trouble for Zona’s half-court spacing. |
Still, Love has the skill set to win a couple of games on his own, and his team has the talent to be named Pac-12 favorites. If Lloyd can coax consistency out of his incoming guard, projection likely becomes reality. |
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