Cleveland Cavaliers: Grading Collin Sexton’s rookie season so far

Defense: C-

One of the most anticipated aspects of Collin Sexton’s game was his defense. Sexton’s unique stance and energy on defense made many assume that he could become an elite perimeter defender in the NBA.

While he has shown flashes of becoming a great defender, there is still a lot for Sexton to learn. It didn’t take long for veteran players to abuse Sexton and force him into foul trouble. He has already had 28 games of at least three personal fouls and has fouled out once. With 141 total fouls, Sexton leads all rookie guards in fouls this season.

Of course, it hasn’t helped that Sexton is playing on one of the worst defensive teams in the league. The Cavaliers rank dead last in blocks and defensive rating while also giving up the eighth most points per game in the league.

Much of Sexton’s mishaps on the defensive end can be attributed to inexperience and playing in a bad system. For example, look at the improvements that former Cavalier, Kyrie Irving, has made on the defensive end since joining the Boston Celtics who are a much better defensive team than the Cavaliers ever were.

So, while Sexton hasn’t exactly been the best defender, it’s still too early to say he can’t become solid on that end of the floor. He has the speed and aggressiveness necessary to be a pest on defense and it honestly shouldn’t take much longer for him to figure it out and put everything together.