Cleveland Cavaliers: Collin Sexton can’t learn by sitting down the stretch

As it continues to be one of the main focuses of this Cleveland Cavaliers season, Wednesday sure left some fans scratching their heads as rookie Collin Sexton sat firmly on the bench during most of the fourth quarter. Why was that again the case?

One would’ve assumed when George Hill was traded last week that the issues of Collin Sexton battling for crunch minutes would disappear for good, and our own Jackson Flickinger and Dan Gilinsky harped on how Sexton should be getting those crucial stretch minutes, and that was even with Hill on the roster before. That wasn’t the case, as mentioned above, again on Wednesday. Sexton only logged 29 minutes and watched the first six-and-a-half minutes of the frame sitting down.

It wasn’t like he was having a bad game.

Sexton posted nineteen points on 9-for-16 shooting from the floor against the New York Knicks in the Cavs’ eventual 113-106 home win. A big part of getting that win for Cleveland was Sexton’s steady flow of offense in the first half. He had fifteen of his total tally in the first and second quarter, with a lot of those points coming from drives and nice intermediate shot awareness.

Then, he essentially was removed from the gameplan.

The Cavaliers led by eleven going into the break, 65-54. While pulling Sexton isn’t the only reason why the Knicks eventually knotted the score up by the end of the third quarter, it certainly plays a hand in it. Holding a five-point lead is tough in the NBA and removing one of your best offensive weapons while in the heat of battle didn’t seem like a good move made by Cleveland head coach Larry Drew.

So sure, the Cavaliers held on for the victory. But why not let Sexton weave his way through adversity in a game that didn’t hold any weight but draft positioning? That’s the puzzling part.

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Sexton was pulled with 3:23 left in the third quarter with the Cavs up by five points. He was checked back in with 5:26 remaining in the game. That can’t happen.

It’s understandable that the team wants to secure some wins, at least from their point of view. They’re sick of losing and now being winners in five of their last seven contests, they might feel as if the tide is turning. Maybe that’s why Matthew Dellavedova played the key role down the stretch with Jordan Clarkson’s team-high 28 points.

But the rook has to play. No questions asked.

I’m one of the biggest supporters of Dellavedova as a mentor for Sexton. Heck, having Delly back is a great thing for Cleveland sports in general. But there is no reason for him to be receiving “MVP” chants while the eighth overall pick is cast in the shadows.

It would be fair to assume that Dellavedova isn’t in the long-term plans for the Cavs. Even if he is, he shouldn’t be grabbing the headlines on a team filled with youth. Veterans didn’t receive the big-time roles and moments when Kyrie Irving was in town, the new dude trying to learn the ropes. Look at how that turned out for Irving and the Cavs.

It was a win, so it isn’t going to be addressed as heavily for now. But hopefully, Cleveland makes it a priority to give Sexton a chance to close the show going forward. His improved play has shown he’s earned it.