Collin Sexton is one of the best young players in the league, and prior to this season, Bleacher Report had him as the 25th-best under 25 player, which was solid. His scoring prowess makes him one of the best young players in the league. Last season for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Sexton scored the 18th-most points per game, ahead of players such as Brandon Ingram, Paul George, and DeMar DeRozan.
Considering Sexton is 6’1” and playing at the shooting guard position, he shot the ball very efficiently, shooting it at a 47.5% clip from the field and 37.1% from behind the arc. Yes, his scoring numbers are elite for anyone, not just a young player, but other than that, what can he do?
In my opinion, his role would be best coming off of the bench next season for the Cavs, if he returns in free agency. I originally had him as the Cavs’ projected starting 2 for next season, but I have to update that.
Some people might disagree with me, considering the offensive firepower he brings to Cleveland. Yes, this is definitely true, but in my opinion, his multiple negatives outweigh his singular positive. Let’s take a look and see what I mean.
Advanced Statistics
Let’s flash back to Sexton’s rookie season, where he made All-Rookie Second Team. He averaged 16.7 points and 3.0 assists per night, playing all 82 games that season. For a rookie, those numbers seem great! Sure, his assist numbers weren’t the best for a guard, but that’s understandable. Point guards coming into the NBA usually have a hard time adjusting.
However, advanced stats that season hated Sexton, as he had a -8.2 plus-minus that season, only behind Cedi Osman and Kevin Knox. A negative 8.2 plus-minus per game, multiply that by 82 for all the games he played that season, and you get yourself -672.4.
Cumulatively, his plus-minus ranked the worst total plus-minus for a rookie in NBA history, and also ranked 5th-worst for any player all-time, according to StatMuse. So yeah, behind the good numbers, Sexton was not very good in his rookie season.
Without Sexton in the lineup, between 2018 and 2021, the Cavaliers had an offensive rating of 104.2, compared to a 108.0 with him. However, the defensive rating is terrible with Sexton on the floor, with it being a 117.1 between those years, and it being 110.5 without him in those years. So yeah, Sexton is not a good defender.
Let’s look at Sexton’s passing from last year, considering he didn’t play many games this season. He averaged 4.4 assists, a career-high for a season. But, his assist-to-turnover ratio was very poor for a guard, having a 1.57 assist/turnover ratio.
With players who played at least 10 minutes per game and at least 10 games, he was 10th-best on the team in that statistic. So yeah, Sexton is not the best passer in the world. Also, to make matters worse, he had a net rating of -9.2.
To put it nicely, Sexton’s advanced stats don’t really show anything good.
Other Cavs Teammates
Let’s just say Sexton does not start next season, for the sake of the article, in the event he’s back next season, which reportedly seems likely. Who would start at the 2 guard then? There are only two options, in my opinion. Let’s go through both of the players.
Isaac Okoro – Okoro is a solid defender, so he definitely fits the Cavs’ defensive mindset. He is not much of a floor spacer, but in my opinion, he will get to be a solid shooter in time. He is a decent finisher around the rim, and can provide Cleveland with quality corner 3-point shooting. He is 6’5,” which would be better than Sexton, as he is only 6’1”.
Caris LeVert – In my opinion, LeVert should be the starter, as his defensive stats are a bit better than Sexton, and he is taller. Also, his assist/turnover ratio last year for Indiana was a 2.28, which is good for a shooting guard. I won’t count this season for Cleveland, as in my opinion, he didn’t get enough time to get acclimated to Cleveland’s system and team.
Sexton had a 114.0 defensive rating last season, while LeVert had a 113.4, which is not much of a difference, but I’d still take LeVert, as he is taller and has a bigger wingspan.
Potential Sixth Man of the Year for the Cavs?
If he comes off of the bench, Sexton should definitely be in the running for this award. Why does this even matter? Well, if you have a good sixth man, chances are, you make the playoffs. Let’s look back at previous Sixth Man of the Year winners.
This year, it will probably be Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat, who won the most games in the Eastern Conference this year and has a good shot to win the East. Last season you had Jordan Clarkson from the Utah Jazz, who had the best record in the league. In the 2019-2020 season, you had Montrezl Harrell, who helped the L.A. Clippers earn the 2nd seed in the Western Conference.
From there, in 2018 and 2019, you had Lou Williams, who helped the Clippers reach the 8th seed in 2019, then the 10th seed in 2018. In 2017, there was Eric Gordon, who was a big factor in the Houston Rockets’ 3rd seed in the West.
The list goes on and on, and usually, the Sixth Man of the Year winners make the playoffs, and usually have a good record on their team too. So if Sexton wins next season, he might help Cleveland reach the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
To sum it all up, Collin Sexton’s role on the team next year should probably be the sixth man, as he and the team would benefit greatly from Sexton in this role.
If he is off the bench next season, Cleveland’s bench would look fierce, as they would have Sexton, Kevin Love, and Lauri Markkanen or Caris LeVert off the bench next season.