Virtually everyone thought Kevin Love wouldn't spent a minute with the Utah Jazz when they acquired him back in July. When that turned out not to be the case, speculation arose that the Jazz were trying to showcase Love to interested suitors. Well, Keyonte George's recent comments confirm what no one thought was possible: Utah's plan is to keep Love.
George recently revealed why Love is valued by the Jazz, even if he's not the player he used to be.
"A lot, just the professionalism piece–– just showing up every day." George said about Love in a press conference, per Sports Illustrated's Jared Koch. "He's the same guy every day, no matter how old he is. He always gets his work in. He's always lifting. He's running with us, just little stuff like that. And he don't take the game for granted."
George cited Love's influence on the team while Walker Kessler was out with an injury and how it resonated with George.
"[Kessler] was out in preseason, and K-Love came right in, and he was playing hard, talking to us; he makes the game a lot easier. I can't speak for everybody else, but his communication, and seeing how much he talks, it's definitely rubbing off on me, and everybody else on the squad, for sure," George said.
It's for that reason that Love will probably stick around in Utah pending any surprises. That kind of influence can go a long way in helping young talent like George not only reach his potential but also help him become a leader down the line.
Love has actually shown there is some juice left in his game after all during the preseason, but even so, Utah is keeping him because he's a good influence on youngsters like George. George's words also beg one question.
Will Love stick around with Utah after the season is over?
On the one hand, it's very possible that Love may not even play the full season in Utah if their focus, more than anything else, is giving minutes to the team's youth movement. However, Love's spot on the team isn't the least bit inconvenient for anyone on the Jazz, and it's not like his contract is a problem in the slightest.
Love is at the stage of his career where, even if he won't play any meaningful minutes, he will gladly accept staying in the NBA. We have seen NBA players stay in the league much longer than their talent would have permitted because of they were good influences in the locker room, like Garrett Temple, DeAndre Jordan, and most famously, Udonis Haslem.
Using one roster spot on someone like Love may pay dividends for the Jazz, even if it won't be right away. It seemed confusing at first, but there seems to be a pretty clear future for why the Jazz feel comfortable keeping Love on the roster, and why fans could buy the narrative that the team may be better off keeping him for the next year or so as they acquire and develop more of their youthful talent.