CALEB Love

Love appeared in 49 games for Portland last season and averaged 20.7 minutes. He scored 10.4 points per game. He added 2.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.6 steals, with 0.1 blocks. He turned the ball over 1.3 times a game. His usage rate was 22.8 percent. That is a big share of the offense for a player logging 20.7 minutes a night. When he was on the floor, the ball found him and he looked to score. The team results were not good with him out there. His plus-minus last season was -2.6, so Portland was outscored during his minutes. Those numbers tell you who he was as a rookie: a guard who wanted the ball and could score in bunches, but whose impact on the scoreboard was a problem.

Efficiency was the issue for Love last season. He shot 38.8 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from three. His free throw percentage was 73.5. His true shooting percentage, which combines twos, threes and free throws, was 49.7. Those are low numbers for a guard with a 22.8 percent usage rate. A player who takes that many shots has to make enough of them to help the offense. If he doesn't, the possessions he uses cost the team points. That is the main question for him in Philadelphia. If his three-point percentage goes up, his scoring becomes a weapon off the bench. If it stays near 31.8 percent, defenses can leave him open and live with it. His minutes in Philadelphia will likely follow his shooting.

Love's best night in a 76ers uniform came on October 5 against the Knicks. He played 23.6 minutes and had 15 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists in a win. His plus-minus was 18.0. His minutes have fallen since then. On October 8 against Brooklyn he had 4 points and 5 assists in 13.6 minutes of a loss, with a plus-minus of 2.0. On October 10 against Boston he had 3 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist in 14.2 minutes, and the 76ers lost. His plus-minus that night was -15.0. On October 16, against Boston again, he went scoreless in 6.6 minutes of a loss, at -9.0. On October 20 against the Knicks, a win, he did not get off the bench.

Love is not on the injury report, and he has no injuries on record. His health is not the reason his minutes have dropped. The late part of last season looked a lot like this month. On February 12 against Utah he scored 11 points in 14.7 minutes. After that his role got smaller. He played 8.4 minutes against Milwaukee on March 25. He scored 2 points in 1.1 minutes against the Clippers on March 31. He played 2.2 minutes against San Antonio on April 8 and 1.6 minutes against Sacramento on April 12. The pattern is clear. When his shot isn't falling, coaches cut his minutes. The Knicks game on October 5 showed what he can do as a scorer and passer. Now he needs more nights like that to earn steady minutes.