Caleb Love's Minutes Are a Math Problem, Not a Talent Question

By the 76ers Nightly Desk · Wednesday, October 14

Caleb Love played 49 games last season, averaging 10.4 points in 20.7 minutes on 38.8 percent shooting and a 31.8 percent clip from three on heavy volume. He opened this preseason with 15 points in the win over the Knicks, but a -6.3 net rating and a crowded backcourt are the real story heading into the opener.

Caleb Love of the 76ers — Caleb Love. Photo: MGoBlog, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

What did Caleb Love actually do last season?

He played 49 games at 20.7 minutes a night, averaging 10.4 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 38.8 percent shooting. He attempted 6.0 threes a game and made 31.8 percent of them, with a 73.5 percent free-throw rate as his best number. That's a bench scorer who shoots often and converts just under a third of his threes.

What do the advanced numbers say that the box score doesn't?

His 108.2 offensive rating and 114.5 defensive rating combine for a -6.3 net rating, the kind of swing that gets a player's minutes questioned. A 22.8 percent usage rate says he's shooting like a primary option, but a 49.7 true shooting percentage says the efficiency isn't there to back that up.

Did preseason change the picture?

He scored 15 points in the October 5 win over the Knicks, the best result Philadelphia has posted this preseason. One good night in a blowout win isn't proof of anything by itself - it's a single line in what is still a small sample before the games that count.

Where does he fit now that Lowry, Beauchamp and Martin are gone?

Kyle Lowry, MarJon Beauchamp and Tyrese Martin all left on September 21, and nobody has been added to replace them. That leaves Love sharing backcourt minutes with Maxey, Simons, Edgecombe and Caldwell-Pope, with no fresh competition brought in from outside the building.

What does Love need to prove to stay in Nick Nurse's rotation?

Turn more of those 6.0 three-point attempts a night into makes closer to league average, because 31.8 percent on that much volume is a net negative. Nurse is going to keep watching that -6.3 net rating before handing over more than 20.7 minutes a game.

The verdictLove is a bench scorer with real volume and a real efficiency problem, and fifteen points in one preseason win doesn't erase a -6.3 net rating. He earns more minutes by making the threes he's already taking, not by taking more of them.

What is Caleb Love's role on the 76ers?

He's a backup guard who played 49 games last season, averaging 10.4 points in 20.7 minutes a night.

Is Caleb Love a good three-point shooter?

Not yet - he shot 31.8 percent on 6.0 attempts a game last season, well below where that volume needs to land.