Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 options for pick No. 8 in 2018 NBA Draft
By Ryan Piers
1. Collin Sexton
Sexton is a born leader with a manic-like presence on the basketball court. He is a score-first guard, but comfortable facilitating. Experts optimistically compare him to a young Russell Westbrook. As previously mentioned, Cleveland needs a point guard regardless of LeBron’s decision.
He earned mythical status after leading a comeback against Minnesota…with only two other teammates on the floor.
His numbers aren’t as good as Trae Young’s, with fewer win shares (4.4 compared to Young’s 5.7), but his physical measurable are better. Young is 6’2″ with a 6’4″ wing span. Sexton stands at 6’3″ with a wingspan of 7’0″. By comparison, Rajon Rondo’s wingspan is 7’0″. So is that of Patrick Beverly, Kris Dunn and Ricky Rubio. Each one of these point guards turned out to be stellar defenders.
The point being, NBA teams can turn long-armed point guards into very good defensive players. The difference between Sexton and some of the aforementioned names is he is already a deadly scorer (19.2 points per game in college).
Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft - Doncic still No. 1 in post-lottery edition
Pairing an elite outside shooter with LeBron James makes sense, and Trae Young is certainly that. Cleveland, however, needs an all-around player who can lead a franchise when King James leaves. That is Collin Sexton.