3 reasons Collin Sexton should start at shooting guard for Cavs

Sexton should start for Cavs at SG: Best shooter

Last season Collin Sexton shot just 24.4 percent from 3-point range, which looks bad on paper and seems to undercut the idea that he is a good shooter. That was in just 11 games, however, an incredibly small sample. Two seasons ago he shot 37.1 percent in his breakout year, while the year before as a second-year player he hit 38 percent.

That’s significantly better than Isaac Okoro, who shot 29 percent in a massive sample two seasons ago, and just 35 percent last year. Caris LeVert his 31.3 percent of his 3-pointers after joining the Cavs, and only 32.3 percent in Indiana prior to the trade. Ochai Agbaji improved as a 3-point shooter at Kansas but even so only shot 71.4 percent from the free-throw line. Sexton is the best of the group from distance.

What’s more, Sexton looks even better when you look a little deeper at how he shoots on various attempts. On catch-and-shoot opportunities, Collin Sexton’s 3-point percentage rose to 40.3 percent in 2020-21, his last full season. Playing in an offense where he is not the man, he could be downright lethal as a catch-and-shoot player spotting up around Darius Garland pick-and-roll actions. If he buys into his role, he could absolutely thrive next to Garland.

There are certainly issues starting Sexton alongside Darius Garland, starting with the defensive end. Neither Garland nor Sexton are above average on defense, and their lack of size is an issue against the best teams. If any team was able to cover for that, however, it would be a team starting Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. If the Cavs feel they can handle that balance, there are plenty of positives to Sexton’s case to start.