Is Kevin Love the only guy in the NBA since Dennis Rodman to make rebounding sexy? Think about that. Who else can you conjure up in your mind, where his rebounding is the key thing you focus on and wait to see how many he can grab in a game?
(Alright, there’s Dwight Howard, but I think his blocks are much more the focus of his game)
Simply put, K-Love is very good at rebounding. Sure, he’s great at other things to, like outlet passes. He can score as well (which makes him different to someone like Rodman).
And, in order to pull down those rebounds against the hulks of the NBA, he needs to be able to box out.
In this video, ESPN Sport Science measures Love’s ability to box out against a Sumo wrestler.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=WsUJCpMJ8Gw
Just look at the impact! I don’t think this is your standard collision in an NBA rebounding battle (there’d have to be a foul call, surely?) but it definitely gives you a feel for the size of the guys that are struggling for supremacy in the paint. Remember: this Sumo, at 350 lb, is of the magnitude of Shaquille O’Neal in terms of weight (even if it is more concentrated).
Next time you’re watching an NBA game, you might look a little more closely at the battle under the boards.
