Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 reasons Collin Sexton was a good pick
By Amaar Burton
4. Sexton plays defense
The Cavs ranked 26th in the league this past regular season in points allowed (109.9 per game), worse than all but one 2018 playoff team. Cleveland also ranked 28th in opponent field goal percentage and 26th in forcing turnovers.
In short, the Cavs were bad defensively. They were bad before the trade deadline with the first version of the team, and bad after the trade deadline with the younger and theoretically more energetic version of the team.
If the Cavs ever want to stand a chance at beating a team like Golden State in the Finals with LeBron — or if they just want to stay in the playoffs without LeBron — they’ll need to improve defensively. Sexton is a good defender who is intense on the ball and communicates with teammates.
Cavs were in on Collin Sexton from jump, loving not only his defensive chops, but his demeanor. Crushed it in his interviews with team management.
— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) June 22, 2018
Sexton has the internal makeup to be a great defender, as well as the physical tools. Playing for a year under the tutelage of coach Avery Johnson surely helped him grow defensively.
In his one-year collegiate run, Sexton was the point man of a Crimson Tide defense that ranked No. 20 nationally and No. 3 in the SEC in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency (via KenPom).