Cleveland Cavaliers: 3 ways Collin Sexton can improve

1. Defense

The number one thing that Collin Sexton needs to work on is his defense. The Young Bull ranked towards the bottom of just about every advanced defensive statistic, showing a glaring issue with his talent on this end of the floor.

Sexton doesn’t have much to work with on defense. Sure, he has lightning-quick feet and can keep up with any player laterally. However, he is severely undersized. He may be listed at 6-foot-2-inches, but watching him in person has me believing he is closer to 5-foot-11-inches.

Opposing players simply tower over Sexton. It doesn’t help that his wingspan doesn’t appear to be very long either. As a result, Sexton is frequently caught in screens and lacks the ability to recover from any mistake on defense.

That is speaking strictly about his on-ball defense. We don’t even have to mention how often he is caught out of position off of the ball. Luckily, this is an issue that will likely solve itself as he becomes more comfortable in the NBA.

Collin Sexton versus All-NBA point guards:

• Stephen Curry: 41.0 points per game, 56.0 percent shooting
• Damian Lillard: 27.0 points per game, 51.3 percent shooting
• Kemba Walker: 19.5 points per game, 38.7 percent shooting

*Minimum of two games played

As you can see, Sexton gets absolutely torched by any opponent with size on him. However, the one guard that is similar in stature to Sexton, Kemba Walker, actually had a difficult time scoring on him.

This gives us an indication that Sexton isn’t a bad defender overall, but simply lacks the physical tools needed to have an impact.

So, what can Sexton do to improve?

Well, he should begin with learning the ins-and-outs of defensive positioning. He may not have the length or height to stop anyone, but he can still disrupt plays by moving in the passing lane and putting a body in front of attackers.

Mainly, it is up to the Cleveland Cavaliers front office to find a way to hide Sexton on defense. This is something that a few modern teams have been able to do successfully.

Take the Warriors for example, who have managed to hide Stephen Curry with the defensive capabilities of Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.

Unfortunately, Sexton will never become a valuable defensive player. But, that doesn’t mean he can’t improve. Working on his timing and being in the right place at the right time will go a long way for Sexton.