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And let me be clear, I'm not saying I would've picked Kevin Love after a season he clearly disgruntedly phoned in. But they clearly don't need shot creation from a big man-- they have loads of shot creators-- and traditional rim-protecting bigs won't work well against the Euro bigs that will happily just drag them outside. So all they need from a big man is good screens, pick-and-pop 3s, and passing-- especially in transition since they're clearly looking to run.
So who is better at those skills than *a motivated and healthy* Kevin Love? One of the best pick-and-pop bigs of the decade, probably a Top 5 transition passing big man in NBA history. If you think he's healthy and he gives a shit, and you're looking for those specific things for this roster?
Now, would I have picked Zion? Absofuckinglutely, lol. That shit would've *owned.* But he's definitely not as strong a stand-still 3-point shooter as Love. Randle's also a better all-around player than Love, but he's also not as strong a pick-and-pop guy. Christian Wood had a much better season, but again, he's not a better passer or pick-and-pop guy than a healthy and motivated Love. Same with Myles Turner (although Turner is a much better defender than anyone else on this list). I think John Collins would've been a sneaky good pick, as his pick-and-pop game has improved as has his defense, and his rim-running is among the best in the world... but he's definitely not a passer if that's a priority.
I also imagine that, as your comment alludes to, they wanted someone with experience to just be a bench vet. I can't imagine whoever fills this role would play much, so maybe they just want someone who can know the role and make shots in his few minutes played.
... now, would I have strongly considered Blake Griffin over Love for this role based on all of the things I said, including veteran leadership, and based on the series he just had? Yeah. Absolutely.
But, you know. It is what it is. My unpopular opinion is I think picking Love based on a very specific role is defensible enough. Wouldn't be my choice, for sure... but defensible enough that I don't think it's a crime. (But many of you will disagree, I imagine, lol.) My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
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