Cleveland Cavaliers’ Collin Sexton’s love for the process is encouraging

The Cleveland Cavaliers have to be impressed with how rookie Collin Sexton has responded to adversity this season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers haven’t had much go their way this season, as evidenced by their league’s worst record and numbers after 44 games. Rookie point guard Collin Sexton is showing a ton to me in this dumpster fire of a season, though. As one of our previous co-editors, Quenton Albertie, demonstrated before the season, Sexton’s “best quality may be his character.”

That high character is showing this season, as the rookie has had quite the roller coaster ride; he initially struggled, and according to The Athletic’s Joe Vardon (subscription required), veterans and people in the Cavs’ organization thought Sexton did not “know how to play.”

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It seems as though that’s not the case anymore, as the rookie has hung tough in a season full of losses, injuries to teammates and even a head coaching change after just six games.

Sexton has averaged 14.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game this year, and has started 34 of his 44 games played, per Basketball Reference.

There’s still breakdowns defensively due to Sexton’s youth and with how difficult it is to defend in the pick-and-roll now, but the effort is there every night, and there’s reportedly never been a question of Sexton being discouraged, having doubt or anything along those lines.

Sexton is coming along pretty well, as his playmaking for others is improving game-by-game without much spacing on the floor around him, and his three-point accuracy of 38.9 percent is encouraging, even with a low three-point rate.

He seems to be rolling with the punches, and it’s clear that he’s really trying to correct his mistakes, and his mindset is always positive, which is good to see, considering he’s a 20-year-old high first-round pick on a team that’s mostly losing. That positive attitude was on display after a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, per Fox Sports Ohio.

Sexton had a solid night with 17 points on 50.0 percent shooting and three assists, and was picking his spots well in the halfcourt, and really has done that well in a recent stretch of games, too.

Now saying this season is “fun” might be a bit of political correctness on Sexton’s part, but it also shows just how locked into the process he is, and him referring to the Cavs being a “brotherhood” is nothing but positive. It’s becoming more and more clear that regardless of if the dude has nice numbers in a game or not, he’s made of the “right stuff.”

Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor had more on that outlook from the rook, and how head coach Larry Drew sees no quit in Sexton.

"“The last thing the organization wants is for one of its young building blocks to get beaten down by the constant losing. Drew has repeatedly said these kinds of seasons test a player’s character. You learn more in the tough times. Sexton’s approach is to stay strong.And if Sexton can find fun during this, if he can continue to address his weaknesses while also pulling positives, then he may have the exact right mindset for this rebuild.”"

This young player has barely scratched the surface of his NBA potential, and already equipped with the right attitude and desire, he’s only going to get better and better, and I would expect him to become a secondary leader in the coming years.

The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted a very physically and mentally tough player in Sexton, and his love for the game of basketball means a whole heck of a lot in this rebuilding process.