Collin Sexton repping Cavs in CLE 2022 All-Star Game would be awesome

The 2021 NBA All-Star festivities concluded on Sunday, which were originally set to be in Indianapolis/at the Indiana Pacers, but were rerouted to Atlanta via 1-day festivities this go-round instead. There were no Cleveland Cavaliers players participating in those festivities, from a Wine and Gold perspective.

Looking onward, during next season, it should be fun to see Cleveland play host to the 2022 NBA All-Star Game/festivities. The last time Cleveland did so was back in 1997, and then, it was particularly memorable with how during halftime of that game, the NBA honored its all-time Top 50 players/squad, if you will.

And based on that, I could very well see this go-round, the league honoring what’s deemed its Top 75 players ever, or something in that realm, once again in Cleveland. That’d be really cool to see, too.

Anyway, hopefully, in regards to COVID-19, that things should be fully back to normal involving fans, or at least have near-full capacity down the road, assuming by that point in 2022, the situation is resolved with vaccinations, etc. We’ll have to see involving capacities, of course, though.

Nonetheless, I’m excited for the next All-Star Game with Cleveland playing host, that’s for sure. The league and the Cavs released the 2022 All-Star logos on Sunday night, and with this set to be the third time Cleveland will have hosted the game, that was incorporated, to go with the wine and gold element and the Terminal Tower, in both the primary and secondary the logos.

And to me, with that game in mind, it’d be something else to see Collin Sexton rep the Cavaliers in that one, at least in terms of current Cavs that might have a realistic shot. We’ll have to see if the Wine and Gold were to select a potential star in the 2021 NBA Draft, such as Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Jonathan Kuminga or Jalen Green, but a rookie Cav making that squad would be a tall order, anyhow.

Sexton repping the Cavs in the 2022 All-Star Game in Cleveland would be awesome.

Sexton seemingly had a legitimate All-Star case earlier on this season, and really after Cleveland’s consecutive wins over the Brooklyn Nets, which was highlighted by Sexton’s career-high 42-point performance. In that one, he had 22 points in the two overtime periods.

The Cavs had the toughest stretch of their 2020-21 campaign in February, though, and at one point, had lost 10 straight before winning four of five leading into the current All-Star break. The Cavs are 14-22 at this point, and given other guys factored in, Sexton didn’t have nearly the All-Star case he maybe had earlier on.

That said, the Cavaliers have seemingly been progressing and do have a lighter second half schedule, so perhaps they could close out this season stronger. For what it’s worth, the likes of Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen have played well largely, and more recently, Isaac Okoro and Dylan Windler have seemingly been more comfortable.

And though he reportedly has his share of interested trade suitors, Larry Nance Jr. should be back soon (fractured left hand) for the Cavs, and it seems very unlikely he’ll actually be moved by them.

Kevin Love will be a subject of trade rumors, meanwhile, and it appears the Dallas Mavericks (also a rumored Nance suitor) reportedly might have interest in him, per Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor (subscription required). And per a report from Sam Amico of Forty Eight Minutes and OutKick, the Sacramento Kings have trade interest in Love, to go with Dallas.

Albeit considering Love hasn’t played since Dec. 27 (high-grade right calf strain/aggravation), even while he could seemingly return fairly soon, and with his age (32) and bloated contract, and as both Fedor and Amico seemingly hit on, it still wouldn’t seem likely he’s actually moved by the March 25 deadline. Love could definitely help the Cavs in the second half of the season, anyhow.

Anyway, when it comes to Sexton, while Love could feasibly be moved by the next All-Star Game, I’d imagine, I’d think Sexton, if the Cavaliers are a more respectable team firmly in the postseason conversation, Sexton could have a real shot at making his first All-Star appearance then. Perhaps Jarrett Allen could, too, but we’ll have to see.

In Sexton’s case, he’s continued to show he’s one of the league’s best young scorers, and has once again led Cleveland in scoring with 24.1 points per outing on 48.7 percent shooting.

He’s also currently amid yet another 20-plus-point scoring streak of 10 games at the moment, and looks poised for a big second half once again.

Moreover, Sexton has continued to make strides, which though he’s not the passer of Garland, has had 4.5 assists per outing this season and improved there, and has taken steps on-ball defensively. And overall, he’s improved over the course of the past two seasons considerably, and with his tireless work ethic, looks to be just getting started as an elite three-level scorer.

So if the Cleveland Cavaliers as a team by the time leading up to the 2022 All-Star Game can take further strides and look to legitimately be in the postseason mix, perhaps Sexton will be selected for his first All-Star appearance. And him potentially doing so repping the Cavs with the game in Cleveland would be awesome, truly.

It should be interesting to see how the league commemorates their 75th season then, and if they’ll do a Top 75 players-type of thing. We’ll see.

But again, Sexton repping the Cavs in the 2022 All-Star Game in Cleveland would be something else, with how hard-working he is, and how he’s seemingly continued to prove people wrong over the course of three seasons. With how he is as a player, to go with the growth he’s had, and with how humble he is, it’d be a perfect way to rep the city in the 2022 Cleveland All-Star Game.

We’d have to see about potentially other Cavs players, albeit Sexton could very well have a legit shot I believe. Maybe Nance could also rep the Cavaliers again as he did previously in the NBA Dunk Contest in 2018, for instance.