Hoops Habit
Fansided

Cleveland Cavaliers made right choice picking Collin Sexton

By Tony Pesta

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 28: Collin Sexton #2 and Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers high five during the game against the New York Knicks on February 28, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 28: Collin Sexton #2 and Kevin Love #0 of the Cleveland Cavaliers high five during the game against the New York Knicks on February 28, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Collin Sexton is slowly reassuring fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers that the franchise made the right decision to draft him.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have not had a very good season, but things are looking up for the franchise. As the team is now fully healthy and playing at a much higher level, it is becoming clear that Collin Sexton was the correct player to draft last year.

Before selecting Sexton, many fans were hoping for a player such as Trae Young, Wendell Carter, Michael Porter Jr. or Kevin Knox to fall to the Cavaliers. By the time Cleveland was on the clock to draft, a few other worthy names remained available.

Despite this, the Cavaliers made the decision to put their faith in Collin “Young Bull” Sexton.

In the aftermath of the LeBron James Decision 2.0, the Cavaliers were in a strange position. It had only been one year since they lost Kyrie Irving and now the franchise was also forced to deal with losing arguably the greatest player in NBA history.

Luckily, the third member of the original big three, Kevin Love, elected to sign an extension with the Cavaliers to show his loyalty to the city. This ensured that the Cavaliers would have an All-Star caliber player on their team for at least a few more years.

Furthermore, the Cavs still had a number of different veteran players that had proven to be valuable in the past.

J.R. Smith was still deadly a 3-point shooter and guys such as Tristan Thompson, George Hill and Kyle Korver would all play a role in helping the Cavaliers remain competitive.

While the Cavaliers appeared to be in decent shape before the start of the season, it didn’t take long for everything to fall apart. Love went down with a serious toe injury while Korver and Hill were traded away shortly thereafter.

After an 0-6 start, the Cavaliers fired head coach Tyronn Lue and were the worst team in the league.

At this point, the future of the franchise was resting on the shoulders of Sexton. As the team’s most recent lottery pick, everyone was looking at Collin to help carry them through this adversity.

The learning curve for Sexton was steep. He struggled mightily at certain points in the year as the team played pitifully on both ends of the floor. The Cavaliers racked up quite a few losses as Sexton fought to find his rhythm in the league.

For a solid chunk of time, it seemed like maybe Sexton was going to be a bust. His game was not translating to the NBA level and it honestly looked as if he would have been better off playing another year of college basketball to further develop his game.

Then, something in Sexton finally clicked. After months of shooting poorly and looking lost on the court, Sexton has elevated his game to a much higher level.

For the month of February, Collin averaged 18.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 39.9 percent from the floor and 41.1 percent from the 3-point line.

In this stretch, Sexton has scored 20 or more points six times and has helped the Cavaliers win four of their last six games.

The grit and toughness that Sexton has displayed are exactly what the Cavaliers needed to bring give their team identity. He has weathered the storm and made it through all of the rough patches that he and the team faced this season.

Sexton’s persistence this season is something that will aid him as he progresses through the league and becomes a better player.

When looking back at the 2018 NBA Draft class, it is clear that the draft pool was abundant with talent. A majority of the players taken in the top 10 have been very productive on the court and have given their franchise hope for the future.

For the Cavaliers, it looks like Sexton was the best player that could have taken at the number eight spot. Collin is averaging more points than any other player drafted after him and is in the top five in assists for rookies.

Next. 3 Reasons the Cleveland Cavaliers are playing better. dark

Sexton has the courage to stand up and fight against any opponent. This is what Cleveland needs during this time where not many teams are taking them seriously.

Young Bull has embraced his role with the Cavaliers and has reassured the franchise that they made the correct decision drafting him.

Home/Cleveland Cavaliers