Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 bold predictions for Collin Sexton in 2021-22

The Cleveland Cavaliers have just wrapped up the club’s media day and there are no shortage of topics to choose from. While there were so many takeaways from the biggest media session of the offseason, perhaps none were bigger than what fourth-year guard, Collin Sexton, had to say during his media availability; you can view the team’s stream of Monday’s interviews here, for reference.

One of the first questions that he was asked centered on the continuing discussions of his next contract and while he had to have known this would be a topic of immense interest, he quickly cleared the air on much of the speculation regarding the matter. These types of inquiries can trip up even the most veteran of players but he navigated the line of questioning with poise.

The enigmatic Sexton had this to say of his impending contract extension, via Evan Dammarell of Fear The Sword and Locked On Cavs.

That has me feeling pretty enthusiastic about his prospects for the 2021-22 season. With that being said, here are three bold predictions for Collin Sexton ahead of the upcoming campaign. We start with an overall prediction.

Bold prediction #1: Sexton represents the Cavs in the 2022 All-Star Game

The Eastern Conference as a whole has taken to what could amount to being a massive step forward in terms of talent over the past two seasons. Over the course of the last two years the player movement in what many still deem the lesser conference has been nothing short of breathtaking.

The difficulty level of making the Eastern Conference All-Star roster as a guard just reached another level. Take the guard pool for instance, which now features the likes of James Harden, Lonzo Ball, and DeMar DeRozan. They join an already-crowded group boasting former Cavs hero Kyrie Irving, Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine, Jaylen Brown, Trae Young, and Ben Simmons (for now).

With that being the case, Sexton will have a very tough time making his case for the 2022 All-Star game which just so happens to be being held in Cleveland (of all places!) which could end up playing a factor in regards to his candidacy.

My prediction on the matter is that Cleveland will have at least one representative in next year’s exhibition and that (likely singular) player will be none other than the aforementioned Sexton. In order to do so he must outproduce many of the players mentioned above which he has shown he’s capable of on occasion.

Next we talk statistical output…

Bold prediction #2: The Cavs’ bucket-getter finishes top 5 in scoring

You’ve probably heard it said a million times by now, “Collin Sexton is just a scorer on a bad team.” I wouldn’t doubt that even Sexton himself has heard all of his naysayers echo this sentiment. Scorers of his caliber don’t just grow on trees and aren’t as easily replaceable as some may suggest.

The Alabama alum came out of the proverbial gate averaging 16.7 points on 43.0 percent shooting while canning 40.2 percent of his attempts from three-point range. In his sophomore season, he increased his scoring production up to 20.8 points, shot 47.2 from the field and while his three-point percentage dipped a bit, he upped his average number of attempts from 3.6 to 3.9 which was encouraging.

Sexton followed that up with a third season that impressed, putting up career-highs in numerous areas including scoring (24.3 points per game), field goal percentage (47.5) and three-point attempts (4.4). Plus, he showed the ability to close if needed for Cleveland as well.

As I previously stated, scorers of Sexton’s ilk don’t just grow on trees and with a much-improved roster around him including the offseason additions of Evan Mobley, Ricky Rubio, Lauri Markkanen, even more scoring opportunities may open entering his fourth year.

Look for a highly-motivated Sexton to set a career-high yet again as he earns top five placement in scoring among all NBA players.

Bold prediction #3: Sexton receives a max contract from the Cavs before the 2021-22 season

There are no if, ands, or buts about it, Collin Sexton is in a make-or-break year. Even with his immense capabilities to score the basketball, the “Young Bull,” as his teammates affectionately refer to him as, is still doubted in many NBA circles by both fans and GMs alike.

So what can the fourth-year guard do to quiet his detractors and earn that shiny new deal? Is it assisting the ball more? More ball movement? Less dribbling? Even more scoring? Improvement on the defensive end? Quite simply put, it’s a conglomeration of all of these things.

Sexton must continue to put his head down and let his play on the court speak for itself. If nothing else, he has been an absolute workhorse and continues to impress with his work ethic. He may not have been blessed with prototypical size at his position but surely seems to give his all at least on the offensive end of the court.

Much of his issues and tendencies on the defense end come from poor positioning, and seemingly at times, a lack of effort there, and while his size (6-foot-1) may place a limit to just how effective he can be on that end, he can certainly still develop into a respectable defender.

He has shown nothing but improvement every step of the way and I’m banking on that being the case for the 2021-22 season as well. This will be the year Sexton proves his importance to the Cleveland-based team and for my third bold prediction for him, he will force the organization into paying him max-level money next offseason, based sheerly upon his on-court production.

The team has until 6 PM on Oct. 18 to show their commitment to him. If that doesn’t happen, Sexton will likely enter restricted free-agency come seasons end.

As Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com discussed and gave further reporting on, the Cavs and Sexton share a mutual interest in keeping him in Cleveland long term. But a max contract deal before next offseason is not a certainty at this juncture, although one would think he could still receive a significant extension.

Either way, here’s to hoping Sexton is here for the long haul.