Cavs: 3 reasons for optimism about Collin Sexton’s future

Cavs: 3 reasons for optimism about Collin Sexton’s future – His Scoring is Valuable

For years, scoring by itself has been an overrated statistic used to evaluate and pay players. Defense, much harder to quantify, has historically been undervalued in such evaluations. Skills like passing ability, spacing, defensive impact and positional versatility are all valuable traits that have slowly begun to work their way into the light as important factors for a player.

At the end of the day, however, the ability to create your own shot is still the most valuable individual skill in the league. The number of players who can do so efficiently is slim, and the league’s very best, especially in the postseason, are those who can do just that and make points happen.

Collin Sexton is by far the best individual shot creator and scorer on the Cavs’ roster, ranking in the top 20 in the league in scoring average this past season with 24.3 points per game. He has increased his scoring average by at least 3.5 points per game each of the past two seasons. Additionally, in NBA history, only four other guards in NBA history have averaged at least 24 points by their age-22 seasons. That includes two current All-NBA guards in Trae Young and Devin Booker, as well as former MVP Derrick Rose.

The Cavaliers don’t have anyone to replace him with, and it will be difficult to even find someone moving forward. Sexton plays a crucial role on this team, making shots appear out of nowhere. He is ferocious in attacking the rim, but at the same time is a career 38.5 percent 3-point shooter. Sexton has already grown into one of the league’s best guards at the league’s most important task.