Kevin Love is one of the best players in the NBA, but Wolves head coach Rick Adelman wants Love to continue expanding his game.
“I think he’s at the point where he’s such a skilled player that now he’s got to make another step,” Adelman told FOX Sports North. “He’s got to expand on his game.”
Team vice president of player personnel, Flip Saunders, wants Love’s next step to come as a facilitator.
“He has to be able to initiate our offense more, to be able to be a facilitator and a feeder,” Saunders said. “Because of what he is offensively, because of his threat to shoot the ball, his threat that he’s so good when he has the ball, that he can attract a lot of attention. With attention comes opportunity for other players.”
“He can make all of his other teammates much better and that’s what great players do, they make their teammates better. And I’m hoping that’s what Kevin’s next step’s going to be,” Adelman told ESPN.
Unlike years past, Love will have some solid scoring options around him.
Kevin Martin, signed in the offseason, can be a dynamic scorer that can shoot the three. Corey Brewer brings a ton of “energy” to the floor, and he’s capable of scoring in bunches. The Denver Post points out that Brewer came of the bench for a stretch of three games last season where he scored 23, 22 and 28 points while playing for the Nuggets. And Nikola Pekovic is an offensive threat in the post.
Love says he’s up to the challenge of finding his teammates.
“I’m not going to go out there and pass the ball as great as Ricky Rubio does, but I’m going to hopefully learn a few things from him and see different things out of our corner set,” he said.
The Timberwolves open the season at home against Orlando in 27 days (Oct. 30).
