The Cleveland Cavaliers drafted a high-profile point guard from a southern school after the departure of LeBron James and almost immediately gave him the keys to the offense, watching him increase his scoring totals and feeding him all the shots he could get. That player was?
Take your pick; it could be Kyrie Irving, or it could be Collin Sexton. When the Cavs did it the first time they found a true star guard, a scoring magician who made an All-Star Game early. In Sexton they tried the same approach, and while he blossomed as a pure scorer he failed to develop in other areas. Friday night was a microcosm of the problem the Cavs, and Sexton, now find themselves in.
Collin Sexton was given the keys to the offense years ago. Now the team wants to take them back, and he’s not cooperating.
Friday night the Cavs went into Toronto to take on the scorching-hot Toronto Raptors, winners of five-straight and with their own breakout star rookie in Scottie Barnes. The Cavs never led but managed to hang tight for much of the game. With 2:39 remaining and the Cavs down four, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff subbed Sexton out of the game in favor of Ricky Rubio.
Over the next two minutes the Cavs managed to close the gap to just one, outscoring the Raptors 6-3. Facing an offense-only possession Bickerstaff put Sexton back into the ball game. Sexton took the ball, tried to get past Gary Trent Jr. and was absolutely stonewalled. The Cavs didn’t run a play, they just watched Sexton try to drive in isolation and fail. He tripped and got lucky as the ball dribbled out of bounds off of Trent.
The following inbounds play saw Sexton get the ball back, drive into the paint and bobble the ball, getting bailed out by the ref calling a jump ball. To Sexton’s credit he won the tip and set up Darius Garland to get fouled and win the game at the line, but he did his best to prevent the Cavs from getting an efficient shot.
Sexton’s hustle and competitive fire is unmistakable, and by all accounts he is a great teammate. Yet Sexton doesn’t want to just be part of an ensemble cast, he wants to be the leading man. This is partly the Cavs’ doing: they spent the last three seasons giving him as many shots as he wanted. That he didn’t squander them all away, but has improved as a scorer each year, is a point in his favor.
Yet Sexton is not elevating this team, and it’s something the franchise knows. They refused to give him anything approaching a maximum contract prior to the season. Sexton, coming off a season where he averaged 24.3 points per game, turned their offer down. Yet the reality is that while every other offensive option went down to injury last season, in a juiced year where point totals were inflated across the league, Sexton had his breakout. It didn’t help the Cavs win.
Darius Garland is better when he plays without Sexton, and the Cavs are too. Ricky Rubio dominates the list of the Cavs’ best lineups because it often means Sexton is off the court. Whether Sexton came into the game Friday night and refused to pass the ball because he was mad at being benched, or truly thought his isolation attack was the best option for the Cavs to score, he was wrong.
There is a role for Sexton to play on the Cavs or another good team, a potent scoring option off the bench with decent playmaking skills and the fire to ignite bench lineups. He kills it going after backup guards. Jordan Clarkson was a part of the league’s best team last season in such a role, and it would fit Sexton beautifully.
Sexton has to accept his role or he will be the latest in a series of guards who think they’re “the guy” when they’re not. If he buys into his role he could get a solid contract and be a part of what Cleveland is building. If he can’t, he will continue to be marginalized this season and have to hunt out money in restricted free agency.
The future of this team will be built around Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. Is Sexton willing to give up the keys to the car and sit in the backseat? If so, the Cavs and Sexton will be better off for it. If not, then his time with the team may be running out.