Caleb Love
Guard | North Carolina
Height: 6’4” | Weight: 195 lbs
2023 Draft Age: 21.74
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Prospect Profile
A proven winner, Love has the tools to raise the ceiling of any team. Even at the NBA level, there’s a clear path to him being a key piece of the rotation on a championship team one day.
In fact, the Tar Heels are 15-0 in his career when he scores at least 20 points.
Entering his junior season, Love’s accolades were already among the best in the country. During North Carolina’s championship run, he scored more than any player in the tournament. Furthermore, he knocked down countless clutch buckets which proved he’s able to step up in the biggest moments.
As it relates to returning college players this season, he’s without a doubt one of the best. He’s the ultimate competitor that can do a bit of everything.
With that in mind, Love has been spectacular since the day he got to Chapel Hill. He made the ACC All-Freshman team in that first season with North Carolina and even led the team in assists. He’s a natural playmaker for himself, but also for others.
Even the best passers at the college level don’t have accurate jaw dropping assists numbers, but Love has had his fair share of productive games in that category. At the next level, he projects to be a combo guard that can both pass and score. He doesn’t necessarily have the pure point guard skills to lead an offense full time, but he can distribute when needed.
While he makes huge buckets, Love sometimes takes bad shots. Furthermore, his 3-point shooting has not been consistent. He was an improved shooter from deep as a sophomore, but can that be sustained? If he can prove to be a more efficient threat from beyond the arc, his draft stock will rise tremendously.
From the floor as a whole, Love shot worse than 37.5% in each of his first two seasons. This simply won’t cut it at the NBA level. Especially early in his career, he probably won’t get anywhere near the volume of attempts he’s getting now, so proving he can produce points efficiently is a swing factor as a whole.
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He’s got the confidence to attempt advanced shots and take the game over in crunch time, but there’s a fine line between confidence and the smart decision. The 6-foot-4 guard can also be turnover prone at times.
Regardless, the upside as an isolation scorer with a ton of athleticism and speed is intriguing. He’s a strong driver with a quick first step and a dynamic package of dribble moves.
Defensively, Love is also able to make plays. He’s generated over a steal per game over the course of his career, leveraging his quick hands and ability to jump passing lanes. At 6-foot-4 and nearly 200 pounds, Love has the frame to be physical when defending opposing guards.
In fact, he’s one of the best defensive guards in the county and has an impressive 6-foot-9 wingspan.
As of now, Love is projected to go in the second round. Especially if he leads the Tar Heels to another deep tournament run, NBA teams will appreciate his overall impact on winning as it should translate to the next level.
Highlights
Draft Projection
Second-Round Pick in 2023 NBA Draft.
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