Cleveland Cavaliers: Advanced stats misrepresent Collin Sexton

Strong finish

So, Collin Sexton was rushed into a starting position and forced to carry the weight of an entire NBA team at 19 years old. How did he do?

Well, as we previously mentioned, the first few months of the season were rough. Any success that he found was quickly squandered once opponents had a chance to watch film and study his game. As a result, adjustments were constantly needed to be made.

Throughout the season, Sexton had his fair share of speed bumps. However, not once did he allow himself to lose confidence. He learned from every loss as he had a strong finish to the season.

Per game scoring and shooting splits in March 2018:

• Trae Young – 23.4 Points Per Game (43/33/84)
• Collin Sexton – 22.4 Points Per Game (51/45/83)
• Luka Doncic – 21.8 Points Per Game (39/22/65)

The learning curve was steep for Collin. But, by the end of the year, he had found his rhythm and caught stride as a talented scorer. At his best, Young Bull rivaled the scoring numbers of star rookies such as Luka Doncic and Trae Young.

If you strictly used advanced metrics to judge a player, you would think Sexton was a flat-out bum. This is why every statistic needs to be met with proper context and supporting information. It’s impossible to paint the full picture using only numbers and equations.

Young Bull might not be an All-Star anytime soon, but he is well on his way to a productive NBA career. Please, do not judge this 20-year-old on a few arbitrary advanced statistics.