The Cleveland Cavaliers had a heck of a win at the New York Knicks, who were a postseason team last year, on Sunday, and the club a season-high with 126 points and 19 made three-point shots.
In that one, Ricky Rubio had an otherworldly performance with a career-high 37 points and 10 assists, and he was scorching from three, going 8-of-9. That was quite the sight, as KJG’s Amadou Sow expressed, and Rubio’s made a profound impact on this young team.
Along with that, rookie sensation Evan Mobley had 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists, Jarrett Allen had 18 points, 17 rebounds, four assists and two steals, and there were a stable of others that got in on the act in a team effort. The Cavaliers had 31 assists, and in the second half, they came up with some key stops when they needed to, as has been a common thread in their four-game win streak.
Unfortunately, though, what did sting from this contest was Cleveland sustaining a significant injury to one of their key players.
Collin Sexton, who banged knees with Jarrett Allen in the second quarter of that Knicks game, suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee, per a team announcement.
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) November 8, 2021
Sexton will undergo further testing, and for now, the timetable for how long he could potentially be out for is not yet certain, but Sexton will, as one would assume, be sidelined for a while it seems.
This stings for the Cavaliers, as even with him having to adjust to being much more off-ball this season, particularly with Rubio still getting a bunch of minutes, Sexton is still a core piece for Cleveland, and when they really need a bucket, he’s that guy.
Sexton had been off from the perimeter to begin this season, shooting just 24.4 percent from three, but he’s worked himself into being a heck of a three-level scorer over the course of three seasons. This does again really hurt for the Cavs, who have begun this season at a surprising 7-4.
This injury undoubtedly hurts, with Sexton being a core piece for the Cavs.
We will have to see as far as further updates on the potential timetable for Sexton, however, it’s apparent that he’ll be sidelined for likely a significant chunk of time to come here.
Now, to reiterate, Sexton, who’s had 16.0 points per outing this season, had been adjusting to playing less seemingly less an on-ball scoring presence, and his minutes average was reduced at 28.8 per game to that point this season.
With other players in the fold, a bit of a dip from Sexton’s 24.3 points per outing last year appeared to be inevitable for the season overall, but him showing further progress as a passer (despite assist splits), and as a defender were positives, notwithstanding.
That said, Sexton’s still one of Cleveland’s best offensive players, given his all-around scoring abilities, strength and quickness getting to the basket, and in key stretches of games, including in crunch time, he’s shown he can take over. For what he can provide on any given night, and with the grinder he is, it was hardly shocking that a team source reportedly stressed to Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor in a report by saying this Sexton injury is a “massive loss,” in a text on Monday.
Granted, I get that Sexton can still be susceptible to overdribbling or having tunnel vision as a scorer, and I fully acknowledge that.
Regardless, from my perspective, what he brings and the attention he garners from defenses, just from his overall threat offensively, can aid others around him, and not to mention, in the transition game, he’s likely Cleveland’s most dangerous weapon.
The Cavs will need the group collectively to step up, and guys such as Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love when they get back from COVID-19 health and safety protocols can help from a shooting/offensive perspective, with the latter in a bench role.
As far as who might take Sexton’s place, I’d imagine that from a defensive standpoint, that could be Isaac Okoro fairly frequently when he returns from a left hamstring strain and is nearing 100 percent, or perhaps Dylan Windler could be a darkhorse candidate. With his injury history with Cleveland, though, I wouldn’t imagine that’s the wisest move.
But whether Rubio ends up starting alongside Garland or not, which I’d rather he not, as I do believe his shooting will come down to Earth and I’d rather he keep coming off the bench, this Sexton injury absolutely stings.
The Cavaliers have been carried to this point mostly by their defense, especially with Evan Mobley’s and Jarrett Allen’s efforts there, however, not having Sexton it’d appear for an extended period could put more pressure on other guys offensively to bring it on a nightly basis.
We’ll have to see again regarding how long Sexton will be expected to be out for, provided he doesn’t need surgery.