Kevin Love himself is still the benchmark: 142 of his 199 shots were threes (71.4%), about 8.3 per 36 minutes, and only Naz Reid (8.0) comes close. Sources disagree on his starts: 0 (StatsCrew) or 5 (Yahoo).
Back to the trend of the day: Collin Sexton compares Lakers newcomer Sandro Mamukelashvili to Kevin Love
Poly Rating · from the trend of the day
NBA bench bigs most like Kevin Love, 2025-26
Collin Sexton's new Kevin Love comparison, Sandro Mamukelashvili, ranks only second: Naz Reid matched his 12.4 assist percentage and took more of his shots from three (.514 vs .469).
- No. 1: Sandro Mamukelashvili
- 10 places
01Final list
The leading AIs each built their own list of ten independently. Here is one result that is easy to check: every place has a reason, a source, and the list of AIs that included it.
Order: from most to least AI agreement.
A bright badge means this AI put the entry on its list. A dim badge means it did not.
- 1
Sandro Mamukelashvili
Sexton's Love comparison: .469 3PAr (ESPN 46.8%), 12.4 assist percentage and the best true shooting here (.637). Screen-assist claims of 3.2 and 5.8 per 36 contradict each other and couldn't be verified.
Included it: Claude, Meta, Gemini, Nemotron, Kimi. Did not include: ChatGPT, Nova, DeepSeek.In their lists: Claude: 1 · Meta: 1 · Gemini: 1 · Nemotron: 1 · Kimi: 2
What each AI noted 5
- Claudeplace 1
He took 6.1 threes per 36 and made 38.9% of them, and 67 of his 80 games with Toronto came off the bench. That is the closest match to Love's pick-and-pop and post passing role.
Source ↗ - Metaplace 1
18.4 pts, 3.1 ast, 2.4 threes per 36 at 38.9% – Sexton's direct K-Love comp
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 1
Possesses Kevin Love's exact dual threat as an offensive connector: generating 3.2 screen assists per 36 minutes while hoisting over 47% of his field goals from beyond the arc.
Source ↗ - Nemotronplace 1
Lakers' new bench big posts 5.8 screen assists/36 and a 52% 3PA rate — the closest statistical Love clone in the league.
Source ↗ - Kimiplace 2
The reason this ranking exists: on October 21, 2026 Collin Sexton looked at his new Laker teammate and said 'Kevin Love.'
Source ↗
5 AIs put it here - 2
Naz Reid
Highest 3-point rate of the top four (.514; RotoWire 51.4%), with the same 12.4 assist percentage as Mamukelashvili. He started only 3 of 77 games.
Included it: Claude, Meta, Gemini, Nemotron, Kimi. Did not include: ChatGPT, Nova, DeepSeek.In their lists: Claude: 2 · Meta: 5 · Gemini: 3 · Nemotron: 3 · Kimi: 1
What each AI noted 5
- Claudeplace 2
He had the league's highest 3-point attempt rate among bench bigs here (.514, 8.0 threes per 36), and he started 3 of 77 games.
Source ↗ - Metaplace 5
5.8 threes per game – most by any center in 2025-26, Love-like gravity
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 3
Functions as a supercharged sixth-man scorer with a .512 three-point launch rate whose aggressive pick-and-pop actions open driving lanes without sacrificing screen friction.
Source ↗ - Nemotronplace 3
Timberwolves' sixth man hits 4.9 screen assists/36 and a 45% 3PA rate — elite gravity for a reserve big.
Source ↗ - Kimiplace 1
51.4% of his shots were threes and he still posted the best assist percentage of any bench big on this list — then Minnesota traded him straight into the LaMelo Ball deal.
Source ↗
5 AIs put it here - 3
Bobby Portis
Lowest 3-point rate of the top four (.395), but the best shooter: 45.6% on 296 threes, with 9 starts in 67 games. A 10.5 assist percentage limits the Love likeness.
Included it: Claude, Meta, Kimi. Did not include: ChatGPT, Gemini, Nemotron, Nova, DeepSeek.In their lists: Claude: 4 · Meta: 2 · Kimi: 4
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 4
His .395 attempt rate and 6.6 threes per 36 over 1,619 minutes are the closest volume match to Love's usage, but his assist percentage is only 10.5.
Source ↗ - Metaplace 2
45.6% from three on 4.4 attempts – best shooting bench big in 2025-26
Source ↗ - Kimiplace 4
45.6% from three on 296 attempts — the best shooting season by a high-volume bench big on this list — while starting only 9 of 67 games.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 4
Santi Aldama
A 7-footer passing like a connector (2.9 assists a game) with 6.0 threes per 36. He came off the bench in 32 of 43 games, but shot only 35% from three.
Included it: Claude, Meta, Gemini. Did not include: ChatGPT, Nemotron, Nova, Kimi, DeepSeek.In their lists: Claude: 8 · Meta: 4 · Gemini: 4
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 8
Only 43 games, but he came off the bench in 32 of them and took 6.0 threes per 36 in 1,198 minutes.
Source ↗ - Metaplace 4
14.0 pts, 6.7 reb, 2.9 ast as 7-footer – 35% from deep connector
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 4
A 7-footer who pulls perimeter defenders past the 25-foot line (.528 3PAr) while quietly contributing 2.5 screen assists per 36 in flex screening packages.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 5
Jaylin Williams
Took 7.2 threes per 36, the same as Smith, and passes more (2.4 assists in a reserve role). His assist percentage wasn't confirmed, and Gemini's .492 3PAr has no source.
Included it: Claude, Gemini, Kimi. Did not include: ChatGPT, Meta, Nemotron, Nova, DeepSeek.In their lists: Claude: 6 · Gemini: 6 · Kimi: 9
What each AI noted 3
- Claudeplace 6
A bench big who took 7.2 threes per 36 in 1,277 minutes. His passing numbers are not in the data I could read.
Source ↗ - Geminiplace 6
The league's bench benchmark for sacrifice plays, pairing a .492 3-point attempt rate with an NBA-leading charge draw rate and 3.1 screen assists per 36.
Source ↗ - Kimiplace 9
The best three-point shooter in the league after the All-Star break (50.0%, min. 50 attempts) is a 6'9" bench screener in Oklahoma City.
Source ↗
3 AIs put it here - 6
Al Horford
Best passing-plus-spacing mix on paper (.633 3PAr, 17.0 assist percentage) at age 39. Those rates come from one source only, and he played just 969 minutes.
Included it: Claude, Meta. Did not include: ChatGPT, Gemini, Nemotron, Nova, Kimi, DeepSeek.2 AIs put it here - 7
Jalen Smith
More than half his shots were threes (54.5%, 7.2 per 36), but his 8.5 assist percentage is the weakest Love-style passing among those with a figure.
Included it: Claude, Kimi. Did not include: ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini, Nemotron, Nova, DeepSeek.In their lists: Claude: 7 · Kimi: 6
What each AI noted 2
2 AIs put it here - 8
Thomas Bryant
About half his shots were threes (49.1%, calculated from 131 of 267) and he started just once in 60 games. It's one source and only 732 minutes.
Included it: Kimi. Did not include: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini, Nemotron, Nova, DeepSeek.In their lists: Kimi: 8
What each AI noted 1
- Kimiplace 8
One start all season, 49.1% of his 267 shots from deep, and a front-row seat to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Source ↗
1 AIs put it here - 9
Micah Potter
6.7 threes per 36, more than Mamukelashvili's 6.1, and only 7 starts in 47 games. A small 908-minute role from one source, with no passing figure.
Included it: Claude. Did not include: ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini, Nemotron, Nova, Kimi, DeepSeek.In their lists: Claude: 9
What each AI noted 1
- Claudeplace 9
He took 6.7 threes per 36 in only 908 minutes, so his role was small.
Source ↗
1 AIs put it here - 10
Jock Landale
Has both Love traits in modest doses: .352 3PAr and 11.1 assist percentage over 1,506 minutes. He started 27 of 68 games for two teams, and this is one source.
Included it: Claude. Did not include: ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini, Nemotron, Nova, Kimi, DeepSeek.In their lists: Claude: 10
What each AI noted 1
- Claudeplace 10
A .352 attempt rate with an 11.1 assist percentage over 1,506 minutes. He started 27 of 68 games and played for two teams.
Source ↗
1 AIs put it here
02Worth knowing
What the AIs noticed while building the list.
Screen-setters and shooters are different players. Luke Kornet had 4.2 screen assists per game in January but took 0.0 threes per 36, and the public screen-assist leaderboards show only starters.
Per-player screen assists per 36 for 2025-26 could not be read from NBA.com, so the figures one AI gave Mamukelashvili (3.2 and 5.8) conflict and are left out.
Some popular names fail the 500-minute rule: Kelly Olynyk played 360 minutes and Dario Šarić 41. Jay Huff (61% 3PAr) started 47 of 82 games, so his bench share is doubtful.
Sexton's comparison was about Love's role rather than his numbers: pick-and-pop shooting, post-ups and passing.
03How we counted
In plain words, no formulas.
1The question
Top 10 NBA bench bigs whose screen assists and 3-point gravity most resemble Kevin Love
2Where it applies
NBA
3What we looked at
- Player must have logged at least 40% of his 2025-26 minutes off the bench.
- Rank by a composite of NBA.com screen assists per 36 minutes and Basketball-Reference 3-point attempt rate, with assist percentage as the tie-breaker.
- Exclude full-time starters and players under 500 total minutes.
- NBA.com Hustle Stats (screen assists) — Screen assists that lead directly to a teammate's made basket. No source could read per-player per-36 values for 2025-26. The public leaderboards show only star
- Basketball-Reference 2025-26 advanced — 3-point attempt rate (3PA/FGA), assist percentage (the tie-breaker), true shooting, games and starts.
- Basketball-Reference 2025-26 per-36 — 3-point attempts per 36 minutes, games, starts and minutes, used to check the 40% bench and 500-minute rules.
- ESPN / RotoWire player pages — Separate copies of 3PAr, AST% and bench share, used to cross-check Basketball-Reference.
- StatsCrew, Kevin Love (benchmark) — Love's 2025-26 Utah line: 37 games, 613 minutes, 142 three-point attempts.
4Who ranked
The leading AIs, each building its own list of ten independently and naming a source for every place: Claude, ChatGPT, Meta, Gemini, Nemotron, Nova, Kimi, DeepSeek.
5How the places were set
The same entry written differently by different AIs was counted as one. The more AIs put an entry on their list, and the higher they put it, the higher its place. "AI agreement" shows how many of the AIs had it on their own list. Sources are only those the AIs found themselves; nothing was added by hand.
04Each AI's own list
🇺🇸 Claude10 places · 4 notes
The same question, answered by Claude alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Sandro Mamukelashvili (Lakers, 2025-26 Toronto stats)
He took 6.1 threes per 36 and made 38.9% of them, and 67 of his 80 games with Toronto came off the bench. That is the closest match to Love's pick-and-pop and post passing role.
Source ↗ - 2Naz Reid (Minnesota Timberwolves)
He had the league's highest 3-point attempt rate among bench bigs here (.514, 8.0 threes per 36), and he started 3 of 77 games.
Source ↗ - 3Al Horford (Golden State Warriors)
At 39+ he posted a .633 attempt rate with a 17.0 assist percentage, the best passing-and-spacing combination on this list. His 969 minutes are limited, though.
Source ↗ - 4Bobby Portis (Milwaukee Bucks)
His .395 attempt rate and 6.6 threes per 36 over 1,619 minutes are the closest volume match to Love's usage, but his assist percentage is only 10.5.
Source ↗ - 5Kyle Filipowski (Utah Jazz)
He has the best assist percentage (15.7) among bigs who also shoot at a .347 attempt rate. He started 41 of 77 games, so his bench share is close to the 40% cutoff and I could not verify it.
Source ↗ - 6Jaylin Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder)
A bench big who took 7.2 threes per 36 in 1,277 minutes. His passing numbers are not in the data I could read.
Source ↗ - 7Jalen Smith (Chicago Bulls)
He took 7.2 threes per 36 and started 21 of 53 games, but I did not retrieve his assist percentage.
Source ↗ - 8Santi Aldama (Memphis Grizzlies)
Only 43 games, but he came off the bench in 32 of them and took 6.0 threes per 36 in 1,198 minutes.
Source ↗ - 9Micah Potter (Indiana Pacers)
He took 6.7 threes per 36 in only 908 minutes, so his role was small.
Source ↗ - 10Jock Landale (Memphis/Atlanta)
A .352 attempt rate with an 11.1 assist percentage over 1,506 minutes. He started 27 of 68 games and played for two teams.
Source ↗
What Claude noticed
Kevin Love took about 8.3 threes per 36 for Utah (142 3PA in 613 minutes, 0 starts). That is higher than every bench big in this ranking except Naz Reid at 8.0, which puts Love at the top of the volume scale.
The best screen-setters and the best shooters are mostly different players. Kornet (4.2 screen assists per game in January) took 0.0 threes per 36, and Sharpe (62 games, 109 screen assists, about 3.4 per 36 by my arithmetic) has a .110 attempt rate. Only a handful of bigs combine both skills.
Sexton's comparison is about Love's role, not his numbers. He called out pick-and-pop shooting, post-ups and passing, and Mamukelashvili's 12.4 assist percentage fits that description.
Analysts have criticised the Lakers signing over his defence and physicality compared with Rui Hachimura. That is a role question and doesn't affect his Love-style offensive profile.
🇺🇸 Meta10 places · 4 notes
The same question, answered by Meta alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Sandro Mamukelashvili
18.4 pts, 3.1 ast, 2.4 threes per 36 at 38.9% – Sexton's direct K-Love comp
Source ↗ - 2Bobby Portis
45.6% from three on 4.4 attempts – best shooting bench big in 2025-26
Source ↗ - 3Al Horford
32 of 45 games off bench at 39 with 2.6 apg – outlet passing like prime Love
Source ↗ - 4Santi Aldama
14.0 pts, 6.7 reb, 2.9 ast as 7-footer – 35% from deep connector
Source ↗ - 5Naz Reid
5.8 threes per game – most by any center in 2025-26, Love-like gravity
Source ↗ - 6Luke Kornet
66.2% FG with 2.1 ast in 29-game sample – screen-assist king off bench
Source ↗ - 7Georges Niang
32.7% from three this season – career 38% stretch reputation with sneaky screens
Source ↗ - 8Maxi Kleber
10.7 mpg after return – low usage but proven pick-and-pop gravity
Source ↗ - 9Nicolas Batum
17.4 minutes in 42 games off bench – elite connector and screen slip gravity
Source ↗ - 10Larry Nance Jr.
12.8 mpg with 1.0 apg – high assist% for a big, 33% from three
Source ↗
What Meta noticed
Mamukelashvili's per-36 2.4 threes at 38.9% with 3.1 assists mirrors Love's Cleveland bench seasons – only 3 bench bigs hit 2+ threes and 3+ assists per 36 in 2025-26
Bobby Portis shot 45.6% from three on 4.4 attempts as a reserve, the highest ever for a 6-10+ player with 60+ bench games, topping Love's best Miami mark
Naz Reid's 5.8 three-point attempts per game led all centers in 2025-26, ahead of Towns and Lopez, showing bench stretch bigs now drive 3-point gravity
Hustle Award winner Moussa Diabate ranked top 5 in screen assists and offensive box-outs, underscoring how screen assists predict second-unit offensive rating
🇺🇸 Gemini10 places · 3 notes
The same question, answered by Gemini alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Sandro Mamukelashvili
Possesses Kevin Love's exact dual threat as an offensive connector: generating 3.2 screen assists per 36 minutes while hoisting over 47% of his field goals from beyond the arc.
Source ↗ - 2Kelly Olynyk
The league's premier secondary-playmaking bench center, dishing out a 21.8% assist rate while setting 3.9 bone-crushing screen assists per 36.
Source ↗ - 3Naz Reid
Functions as a supercharged sixth-man scorer with a .512 three-point launch rate whose aggressive pick-and-pop actions open driving lanes without sacrificing screen friction.
Source ↗ - 4Santi Aldama
A 7-footer who pulls perimeter defenders past the 25-foot line (.528 3PAr) while quietly contributing 2.5 screen assists per 36 in flex screening packages.
Source ↗ - 5Dario Šarić
Matches Love's high-post quarterbacking craft with a 16.5% assist rate and 3.3 screen assists per 36, operating as an offensive stabilizer in second units.
Source ↗ - 6Jaylin Williams
The league's bench benchmark for sacrifice plays, pairing a .492 3-point attempt rate with an NBA-leading charge draw rate and 3.1 screen assists per 36.
Source ↗ - 7Moritz Wagner
Compensates for a lower 3-point rate (.315) by racking up 4.6 screen assists per 36, driving defensive rotations with bruising physical picks and dive gravity.
Source ↗ - 8Guerschon Yabusele
A physical wide-body screener who creates 3.0 screen assists per 36 while maintaining legitimate pick-and-pop perimeter gravity (.438 3PAr).
Source ↗ - 9Trey Lyles
Pure stretch forward-center boasting a staggering .575 three-point attempt rate, trading pure screening collision volume for weakside spacing gravity.
Source ↗ - 10Duop Reath
A microwave pick-and-pop sniper carrying a .518 3-point attempt rate who chips in 2.4 screen assists per 36 when anchoring bench five-out schemes.
Source ↗
What Gemini noticed
Sandro Mamukelashvili's rare profile mirrors veteran Kevin Love closely because both players produce above a .450 3PAr while maintaining an assist rate over 14%, a benchmark met by fewer than 4% of reserve frontcourt players.
Traditional rim-running reserve bigs like Jakob Poeltl or Andre Drummond generate over 5.5 screen assists per 36 minutes, but register almost zero three-point attempt rates (.000 to .010), proving that high-volume screening and stretch gravity rarely overlap.
Jaylin Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder ranks among the top bench bigs in both drawn charges (0.85 per 36) and three-point attempt rate (.492), serving as the defensive and spatial mirror of Kevin Love's late-career archetype.
🇺🇸 Nemotron10 places · 3 notes
The same question, answered by Nemotron alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Sandro Mamukelashvili
Lakers' new bench big posts 5.8 screen assists/36 and a 52% 3PA rate — the closest statistical Love clone in the league.
Source ↗ - 2Kelly Olynyk
Veteran floor-spacer averages 5.2 screen assists/36 with a 48% 3PA rate while playing 72% of minutes off Utah's bench.
- 3Naz Reid
Timberwolves' sixth man hits 4.9 screen assists/36 and a 45% 3PA rate — elite gravity for a reserve big.
Source ↗ - 4Nikola Vučević (bench stint)
Bulls' All-Star big logged 42% bench minutes after trade deadline; 4.5 screen assists/36 and 41% 3PA rate in reserve role.
- 5Precious Achiuwa
Knicks energy big puts up 4.3 screen assists/36 with a 38% 3PA rate while anchoring the second unit.
- 6Onyeka Okongwu
Hawks' reserve center averages 4.1 screen assists/36; 3PA rate jumped to 35% after offseason shooting work.
- 7Jericho Sims
Athletic Knicks big man logs 3.9 screen assists/36; 3PA rate still low at 18% but elite screen-setting gravity.
- 8Tristan Vukčević
Wizards rookie stretches floor at 42% 3PA rate with 3.7 screen assists/36 in 55% bench minutes.
- 9Oso Ighodaro
Suns second-rounder surprises with 3.5 screen assists/36 and 40% 3PA rate in 61% bench minutes.
- 10Jalen Duren
Pistons young center posts 3.3 screen assists/36; 3PA rate only 12% but elite roll gravity and 78% bench minutes.
What Nemotron noticed
Sandro Mamukelashvili's 5.8 screen assists/36 leads all qualified bench bigs — higher than Kevin Love's peak rate of 5.4 in 2016-17.
Only three bench bigs (Mamukelashvili, Olynyk, Reid) clear both 4.5 screen assists/36 AND 40% 3PA rate — the "Love threshold."
Jericho Sims and Jalen Duren make the top 10 on screen-setting alone despite near-zero 3-point volume — pure gravity via rim pressure.
🇨🇳 Kimi10 places · 4 notes
The same question, answered by Kimi alone. The final list above combines all the AIs.
- 1Naz Reid (Timberwolves, 2025-26)
51.4% of his shots were threes and he still posted the best assist percentage of any bench big on this list — then Minnesota traded him straight into the LaMelo Ball deal.
Source ↗ - 2Sandro Mamukelashvili (Raptors, 2025-26)
The reason this ranking exists: on October 21, 2026 Collin Sexton looked at his new Laker teammate and said 'Kevin Love.'
Source ↗ - 3Kevin Love (Jazz, 2025-26)
At 37 he fired 71.4% of his shots from three — the most Kevin Love number in the league is still Kevin Love's.
Source ↗ - 4Bobby Portis (Bucks, 2025-26)
45.6% from three on 296 attempts — the best shooting season by a high-volume bench big on this list — while starting only 9 of 67 games.
Source ↗ - 5Jay Huff (Pacers, 2025-26)
61% of his field goals came from three and he posted the third-highest blocks-per-game mark in the entire league — while starting only because Indiana's injuries forced him to.
Source ↗ - 6Jalen Smith (Bulls, 2025-26)
54.5% of his shots were threes; Chicago let him audition as the Vucevic replacement and he answered with 12.1 points and 7.1 rebounds as a starter.
Source ↗ - 7Luka Garza (Celtics, 2025-26)
43.3% from three next to a league-leading screener in Luke Kornet — Boston kept a Love-shaped bench offense on retainer all season.
Source ↗ - 8Thomas Bryant (Cavaliers, 2025-26)
One start all season, 49.1% of his 267 shots from deep, and a front-row seat to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Source ↗ - 9Jaylin Williams (Thunder, 2025-26)
The best three-point shooter in the league after the All-Star break (50.0%, min. 50 attempts) is a 6'9" bench screener in Oklahoma City.
Source ↗ - 10Trendon Watford (76ers, 2025-26)
A 22.0% assist percentage — the highest passing number on this entire list — attached to a 20% three-point shot that keeps the 'gravity' part theoretical.
Source ↗
What Kimi noticed
Kevin Love meets his own criteria: 142 of his 199 field-goal attempts (71.4%) were threes in 2025-26, the highest 3PAr of any qualified bench big — in only 613 minutes at age 37. The best Kevin Love comp in the league is still Kevin Love.
Naz Reid passed the ultimate judgment test: Minnesota signed him to a 5-year, $125M extension in June 2025, then traded him to Charlotte in the LaMelo Ball blockbuster in June 2026 — front offices priced him like a starter-quality stretch big.
The published screen-assist leaderboards are entirely starters — Nurkic (4.6/GP), Gobert and Kornet (4.2) all began games. Bench bigs never appear on these boards, which is why this composite leans on role, minutes and 3-point rates to approximate the Love template.
The list's own catalyst validates it: Collin Sexton compared Sandro Mamukelashvili's shooting and passing to Kevin Love on October 21, 2026, and the Lakers plan to run their second unit through the pairing.