MIAMI – Before the Miami Heat took on the Milwaukee Bucks as a part of NBA Cup group play, head coach Erik Spoelstra highlighted veteran big man Kevin Love and his contributions to the team. As Love played a huge role in the Heat's bench in Sunday's win over the Dallas Mavericks, Spoelstra honed in on the star's best traits that reflect on the group.
Heat's Erik Spoelstra explains Kevin Love's “gift”
The term “connector” has been used by Spoelstra many times when discussing Love's impact on Miami, as besides contributing on the floor, he is also vital to the team's camaraderie behind the scenes as the veteran presence. Spoelstra would say to ClutchPoints before Tuesday's contest that he has a “gift” of wanting to “bring people together.”
“I think that's a great compliment to be a connector in today's day and age,” Spoelstra said. “So much separation, somebody that has a gift of seeing others, Kevin has that, and then the ability to want to bring people together, and then also the final piece is to have the interpersonal skills to be able to do that where people trust you and want you to be able to help connect. You know, at this stage in his career, he just wants to win. He wants to see other guys succeed. How can you not want to play with a guy like that? He has extensive experience and a lot of different goals.”
“He understands what it's like being a star player,” Spoelstra continued. “Understands what it's like being a reserve, and you're tasked with changing the energy of the game, and sometimes it doesn't always go that way, and you're not always given maybe all the minutes or opportunities that maybe a starting unit would have. That's a different dynamic; he understands all the emotions that go into that. Our depth is one of our most important strengths of our team, and Kevin is a big part of that. But also, given the confidence, you know, to the bench, guys, to help them be their best versions is a big part too.”
Asked Erik Spoelstra about Kevin Love’s role on the team when it comes to producing on the floor and being a connector in the locker room.
— Zachary Weinberger (@ZachWeinberger) November 26, 2024
“I think that’s a great compliment to be a connector…” #HeatNation pic.twitter.com/8cZtzxVb5K
Heat's Jimmy Butler sings Kevin Love's praises
The 36-year-old has spoken time and time again about being a mentor, as Love mentioned his relationship with Heat rookie Kel'el Ware. He even has the utmost respect from the other veterans as well, like star Jimmy Butler, who said after the win over the Mavericks that he adores playing alongside him.
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“I love playing with K-Love,” Butler said. “He's so smart, he's always looking to make the right play every single time with him on the floor there's so much space, and it's just like a head nod, and I know what he thinking, he know what I'm thinking. We talk about it because, you know, we're both one of the vets, the vet vets on this team. But the one thing that we always keep in common is the fact that we definitely want to win.”
It's no wonder why the Heat re-signed Love during the offseason, as he also is the primary backup to center Bam Adebayo. So far this season, he's averaged 7.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game while shooting 39 percent from the field and 44 percent from beyond the arch.
At any rate, Miami is 7-7 and 1-1 in NBA Cup group play before Tuesday's outing against Milwaukee as they come into it with a two-game winning streak.
