Last season, it was nice to see the continued progression of Collin Sexton for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and similarly, Darius Garland having a bounce-back campaign was satisfying.
Cleveland’s young starting backcourt has taken their lumps, and I’m not saying they haven’t.
There are things that both need to still clean up, and even with him mostly a 2 now, Sexton does still have some instances of tunnel vision; I’m not suggesting he doesn’t. That still occurs, but his scoring polish is undeniable, and despite trade rumors this offseason, it seems that that could very well lead to him sticking around long-term.
With Garland, there are still some silly turnovers, leading to run-outs for opponents, and to me, in the scoring sense, I do think he can be too willing to defer at times when he has it rolling.
Both have a ways to go on the defensive end, too, but Sexton has made strides on-ball some; he does need to show progression off-ball. With Garland, he did show some improvement as a team defender, although, on-ball, he’s going to have his problems, as many young point guards do.
Regardless, I do believe that the likes of Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and players such as Ricky Rubio and Lamar Stevens (assuming he sticks around) in a bench sense can aid both Sexton and Garland on defense.
Anyway, on the plus side, last season was encouraging in a general sense for both Sexton and Garland, and I do firmly believe that both can take another step forward in 2021-22.
And to that point, it’s apparent from my perspective that either of the two can close for the Wine and Gold, which is good to know looking onward.
Cavs: Either of Sexton or Garland can close.
First, we’ll hit on that involving Sexton.