One thing that strikes us as strange is the amount of discussion Collin Sexton still carries among Cavs’ fans, even though he is out for the season with a torn meniscus.
The Cavaliers are winning, currently sitting with the 6th best record in the Eastern Conference at 26-18, and they were 7-4 with Sexton on the floor, so they have been good with or without him.
We get that it is easy to project Sexton’s 24.3 scoring average onto this team and think of what Cleveland’s record would be then.
But that’s not how it works.
First of all, we know many people would have ranked the fourth-year pro out of Alabama as the team’s best player a year ago. We would not have been one of those people, as we would have had Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland ahead of him.
No matter how others would have ranked the players, Sexton would have been no worse than third at the end of the season.
Certainly, J.B. Bickerstaff’s squad could use another scorer, but there is a different style of play for the Cavs right now, and it’s a winning style. That’s not to say Sexton was a reason they were not winning, but simply saying the team is much better and they are playing a different style of basketball.
Bickerstaff always points to defense for the team’s success, and Cleveland does rank 2nd in points allowed in the NBA and 3rd in defensive efficiency.
Sexton hasn’t been known for his defense in his brief NBA career, so he will need to be much better on that end of the floor when he returns.
He also had the ball in his hands a lot. The offense ran through him when Garland was off the floor, and sometimes when Garland was on the floor. The problem with that is Sexton isn’t a willing passer and when he does look for teammates, he’s not particularly efficient.
His assist to turnover ratio for his career is 3.3:2.5. By contrast, Garland’s is 5.7:3.0, and a veteran playmaker like Ricky Rubio has a 7.6:2.6 rate. For a guard to have a close to even rate of assists to turnovers is not good.
However, it doesn’t mean Sexton can’t change. After all, he is just 23 years old. He just turned 23 actually. And he played on bad teams for the first three years of his career, and they were bad because the teams didn’t have good players.
And we want to emphasize the Cavaliers were 7-4 with Sexton before he hurt his knee.
This Cleveland team is growing though, seemingly getting better every game. The Cavaliers now center around Garland, Allen, and rookie sensation Evan Mobley. Kevin Love has been a huge factor off the bench.
So, when Sexton comes back to training camp next fall, he will need to find a new role. Not because of anything he did, it’s the evolution of this basketball team. He will need to see where he can make the most impact.
Many folks have suggested he should come off the bench and be a dynamic scorer with the second unit. It might be a matter of just picking spots on when and where to attack.
Perhaps Sexton is the guy who when the shot clock is running down, you get him the ball and the possession is salvaged.
The obsession with him is crazy though, because right now, he’s injured. He’s not playing. And there is plenty to focus on with the guys who are performing at a high-level night after night.
If you do want to ask something about him, make that thought about whether or not he can find a new role with the 2022-23 Cavaliers.
Cleveland Sports Perspective 