Kevin Love
Kevin Love is the first of many active players to find himself among the top 100 players of all time, but he didn't even get onto the list until last week. He shares a lot of similarities with Antoine Walker, the player ranked directly below him, as both are big men who can shoot the three, both played many seasons as stars on bad teams, then were traded to a contender and won a title as the third-best player on the title team.
Injuries have been a major problem for Love so far in his career, with three separate broken hand injuries stealing parts of two seasons with the Timberwolves and a dislocated shoulder costing him most of the 2015 playoffs. His breakout season came in his third season, when he averaged 20.2 points per game and led the league with 15.2 rebounds, which helped earn him the Most Improved Player award.
He continued his improvement the following season, raising his scoring average to 26.0 per game while finishing 2nd at 13.3 rebounds per game, which earned him a spot on the All-NBA Second Team despite not getting close to the playoffs. After missing most of the following season with a broken shooting hand, he came back strong in 2013-14, with 26.1 points per game and 12.5 rebounds, good for another appearance on the 2nd Team. Although his personal stats were great, he never helped his team to the playoffs while in a starring role.
Following his best personal season, he was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers to join LeBron James in his quest to bring a title to his hometown team, and though there was an expected drop in his stats after giving up his superstar role, he was still a solid player and an important player on the Eastern Conference champions, although he missed the final two rounds after a shoulder injury ended his season in round 2.
This past season, his numbers remained good but not spectacular, as he played an important supporting role behind all-time great LeBron James, but he was able to help guide the Cavaliers to a repeat appearance in the NBA Finals. There was a lot of talk deriding his play during the NBA Finals, during which he was not a huge contributor, but his overall playoff performance was not that far below his regular season performance, and he was still the #3 player on the team that won the championship.
Without the ring he earned a week ago, he would not have even been in the top 100 yet, meaning that the victory in game 7 kicked Tom Chambers out of the final spot in the all-time countdown. And just like Antoine Walker, Love's superstar seasons did not line up with his championship season, but Love is still young and talented, so he still will have plenty of opportunity to move up this list, especially if he is able to contribute to more titles or get another starring role.
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