Draft Prospect Profiles: Kevin Love

In the days leading up to the 2008 NBA Draft, NYKnicks.com will look at several of the top-rated players potentially available to teams with lottery picks. The Knicks, who hold the No. 6 overall pick, are among the teams with the opportunity to take advantage of a very deep draft class. We offer these profiles for fans to familiarize themselves with some of the biggest names in the draft. A player's inclusion in this series of articles is based purely on his rankings in the scouting services and mainstream media and does not necessarily reflect the Knicks organization's preferences for the June 26 Draft at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden.

We continue our series with a profile of UCLA's Kevin Love, a projected first-round pick, according to major scouting services and numerous publications.

Charismatic and popular with the fans, Kevin Love took the NCAA by storm in his lone season at UCLA.

The freshman averaged 17.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game in 2007-08, while shooting a very impressive 55.9 percent from the field. He scored in double figures in all 39 games for the Bruins and posted 23 double-doubles, ranking third in the nation in total rebounds with 362 in the regular season.

Love scored a season-high 29 points in an NCAA Sweet 16 game against Western Kentucky to lead his team into the Regional Finals, and his season-high for rebounds came against Oregon State on Jan. 26, when Love pulled down 21 boards.

His big-numbers season led to numerous accolades, with Love becoming the first Bruin to earn First-Team All-America honors as a freshman. In addition to earning Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors, Love became the second freshman in the conference’s history to be named the Pac-10 Player of the Year and was one of five finalists for the John R. Wooden Award as the nation's top player

Scouts describe Love as a fundamentally sound, prototypical frontcourt player with a tireless work ethic and a fire to be the best. The 6-foot-10, 260-pounder is known as a bruising force in the paint who complements his power game with a nifty offensive repertoire that is both energetic and dramatic. Love is recognized by scouts for his excellent touch around the basket, but he can also hit the occasional outside bucket, shooting 35.4 percent from behind the arc. Scouts say he has an uncanny ability to read where missed shots are heading and get there for the rebounds.

These attributes would seem to indicate that Love is strictly a low-post player, but his passing skills have scouts raving as well. Facing constant double-teams -- and with pressure in his face -- Love can deliver the ball to the open man on a consistent basis with crisp, clean passes leading to scoring opportunities. Scouts are also impressed by ability to thread the needle through defenders to connect on seemingly impossible passes. His first pass after a defensive rebound also gets high marks, as he helps fire up the UCLA offense.

Defensively, Love is known a very strong, intelligent player who relies on smart positioning and constant hustle. Although his athleticism has drawn some scouts to question his readiness for the NBA, they also say his ability to read the game and a pedal-to-the-medal attitude frustrates opponents at any level, leading to offensive fouls and blocked shots.

Although he stands 6-foot-10, Love is a bit undersized considering his level of athleticism. It is a combination that has some scouts worried, as he is often unable to get his shot off cleanly, if not flat out blocked,

Nonetheless, Love is reportedly determined to excel at the next level, having shed about 10-15 pounds in an effort to become fit and more explosive next season. With an old-school mindset and a flair for the dramatic, he hopes to make as dramatic an impact in the NBA as he did in college.