Cleveland Cavaliers: Collin Sexton stands out at NBA Summer League

Collin Sexton is turning heads at NBA Summer League, but there is one stat in particular that should have Cleveland Cavaliers fans feeling good.

There must be a lot of pressure on Collin Sexton. When the Cleveland Cavaliers shipped out franchise point guard Kyrie Irving, Sexton’s pick was the return package’s centerpiece. Now, he’s the de facto heir to LeBron James‘ throne.

Saddled with the responsibility of ferrying Cleveland back to contention, Sexton unofficially began his career as a Cav with a strong performance at Summer League.

With general manager Koby Altman sitting courtside, the eighth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft erupted for 25 points and seven assists to give the Cavs a first round win in the Summer League tournament

“I love the Young Bull,” Altman told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. It was easy to see why.

Sexton used his athleticism to carve up defenders, beating opponents with timely quickness as opposed to full-throttled speed. The seven assists were a major bonus, as critics worried about the 3.6 per game he averaged in college.

The first of his dimes was the most impressive. On the game’s opening possession, Sexton located Marcus Lee with a lob off a pick-and-roll. He looked poised, comfortably flipping the alley-oop to his teammate. He continued to pepper the Sacremento Kings with step-back jumpers, momentarily answering questions about his inconsistent jump shot.

He was at his best in transition, difficult to stop with a full head of steam. Obviously, Sexton is extremely comfortable using his left or ride hand while blocking rim protectors with his body.

Yes, it was one game at Summer League and fans have already skimmed scouting reports that read exactly like the above lines. We know Cleveland is getting an athletic, hard-nosed guard in Collin Sexton. It’s still nice to see those expectations materialize.

More from Cleveland Cavaliers

• Latest intel calls Donovan Mitchell’s future with the Cavs into question
• 5 players who will challenge Victor Wembanyama for Rookie of the Year
• Cleveland Cavaliers: Analyzing the Max Strus acquisition
• Ranking the 5 best available shooting guards in 2023 NBA free agency
• NBA Rumors: Cavs have secret weapon to lure LeBron back to Cleveland

It’s been a solid Summer League for Sexton, with the guard pacing his team with 18.8 points (13th in the league), 3.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game. Maybe most impressively, he’s shooting 48.0 percent, the fifth-best among players averaging at least 18.8 points per game.

In college, he hit just 44.7 percent of his shots. For a guard that lives off mid-range jumpers and contested layups, that isn’t the prettiest of percentages. DraftExpress.com labeled his shooting as “improving, although still inconsistent.” And that was considered a “strength” on the profile.

NBAdraft.net called him “more of a streaky shooter rather than a pure, knockdown threat.”  Sports Illustrated said “scoring efficiency could be an issue given streaky jumper and penchant for taking hero-ball shots.”

Many critics had something negative to say about Sexton’s jumper prior to draft. They didn’t doubt his tenacity or physical prowess. They lauded his leadership and a mean streak resembling the game’s greats. The unteachable, basically, is what Sexton excelled at.

In today’s NBA, shooting efficiency is paramount — so much so that even big men are forced to step behind the arc, let alone your franchise point guard. Sexton doesn’t need to be Stephen Curry, or even Seth Curry for that matter, from the outside. He does, however, at least need to be a threat. More importantly, he must be as certain as death and taxes from 15 feet in.

Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far

Obviously, the sample size is small. But unlike college, Sexton has found his consistency on the offensive end. There were reports of Sexton’s intense shooting workouts the last couple weeks. It appears those are paying off. Maybe that shouldn’t be surprising, considering Sexton has a knack for improvement with an insatiable work ethic.