Cleveland Cavaliers: Collin Sexton deserved to celly a bit

We know the narrative at this point: Barring the P.R. mumbo-jumbo, the Cleveland Cavaliers are beginning their rebuild. With that being the case, though, it’s allowed rookie Collin Sexton to keep progressing, and he’s already showing why the team invested a top-10 draft pick on him.

Even though the Cleveland Cavaliers aren’t going to win many games this year, it’s important that they don’t have a complete throwaway season, either. Yes, the Cavaliers are just 2-11 on the year, but as has been noted lately, they have taken some positive strides. In the last four games (while dealing with a number of key injuries to regular rotation players), Cleveland has a respectable plus-2.6 net rating, per NBA.com, which is good for 10th in the NBA. Last night, the Cavs finally put it all together and squashed the Charlotte Hornets (to my surprise), in a 113-89 win. Collin Sexton was really good again in his third NBA start, and going forward, it’s starting to look like he could develop into the lifeblood of the Cavaliers.

Since being inserted into the starting lineup for George Hill (who’s sidelined with a reported shoulder sprain), Sexton has flourished. In the three games he’s started, he’s posted 17.0 points on 45.8 percent shooting, and although he’s only had a 2.7-2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio, he’s played much more under control. He’s making better decisions (often being aligned with Rodney Hood instead of Jordan Clarkson), is playing more sound defensively, and has a plus-minus of plus-5.0, compared to minus-7.6, per NBA.com.

I wasn’t discouraged with Sexton before, as he was still a rookie at the very beginning of his career, and playing with another ball-dominant scoring guard for considerable minutes was tough for him. Defense against NBA point guards is anything but simple, in addition to that offensive dilemma.

Even so, Sexton did have plenty of good moments, and was still playing with pace and getting to the free throw line at a high clip (3.5 times in 23.0 minutes per game). Since he’s been playing with the 1’s, even without the likes of Kevin Love for the vast majority of the year and without Cedi Osman outside of six minutes as a starter, Sexton has been making better decisions, and despite the assist numbers not showing it, he’s been a more willing passer and is trying to feature his teammates more.

Let’s not get it twisted, though, the shooting has been the key for Sexton’s improved play. Against Kemba Walker and the Hornets last night, he had 16 points on only seven-of-18 shooting, but his shot selection was much better overall, and he added four assists.

Sexton (although he had help inside from Larry Nance Jr. and Tristan Thompson) also played pretty solid defensively against Walker (who only had seven points on just two-of-16 shooting), and his energy got Rodney Hood (who had 16 points himself) and the Cavaliers going early and besides a turnover-riddled second quarter, the Cavs never let up. David Nwaba (who should have been playing big minutes already before this game) also chipped in in a huge way with 18 points, five rebounds and two assists, and was a bench-leading plus-22, per ESPN.

Even though I don’t love the way having a two-big lineup could stunt the growth of both Ante Zizic and Larry Nance Jr. and don’t see it as a legitimate way to build for the near future, I understand why head coach Larry Drew is doing it right now, given Cleveland’s injuries. Thompson and Nance did combine for 33 rebounds last night, too, but once again, the change in Cleveland’s play in recent games since they got blown out by 32 in Charlotte earlier this month has been Sexton’s improvement playing with players that suit him better on the floor, like Thompson, who is an excellent screener for the rookie point guard.

It’s been awesome to watch Sexton respond the way he has after a report by The Athletic’s Joe Vardon (subscription required) highlighted how internally “the line on Sexton is that he does not ‘know how to play.'”

Since then, it appears that the narrative has changed, as Thompson, Jordan Clarkson, and J.R. Smith have praised him for his competitiveness, and Drew has been very complimentary of the youngster. While Sexton still has a long way to go as a passer and is still often undisciplined defensively, his effort is undeniable, and it’s hard to believe that his fellow Cleveland Cavaliers’ teammates don’t continue to feed off that in the coming years.

It’s unclear if Cleveland will keep their veterans (such as Kyle Korver and Smith) around for much longer, but either way, the effort will be there on the floor, and Sexton is looking more and more like the Cleveland Cavaliers’ future each game. It was worthy for him to flex a little bit last night, and he should get the starting nod the rest of the season, given that Cleveland already knows what they have in George Hill, and Hill should be traded by the February trade deadline, anyhow.

The “Young Bull” hasn’t had the easiest path, and he’s still got a very long way to go, but he deserves to celly a bit along the way.