3. Move Sexton or Garland to bench
Let’s assume that the Cleveland Cavaliers elect to draft a guard such as Anthony Edwards or LaMelo Ball.
One option the Cavaliers would then have is to move either Collin Sexton or Darius Garland to the bench. There is almost no point in drafting another guard if the franchise doesn’t feel they are capable of being a cornerstone; that is why the rookie would be inserted into the starting lineup in this scenario.
The question is, who would be moved to the second unit? Sexton certainly looks like the better player as of now, but it is still extremely early to judge Garland. When looking at each player’s long-term potential and ceiling, Sexton makes the most sense as a sixth man.
In Sexton’s first two seasons with the Cavaliers, he has proven to be a streaky scorer. The Young Bull is a career 16.9 points per game scorer and recently scored a career-high 31 points against the New York Knicks.
Meanwhile, Garland has struggled to score early in his career. Garland is averaging just 10.1 points on 35.5 percent shooting from the floor. However, he already looks like a better playmaker than Sexton.
Double-digit scoring efforts in his last 6/7 contests 👌👌👌#BeTheFight | @dariusgarland22 pic.twitter.com/r0BiAum0y5
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) November 26, 2019
Garland currently leads the team in assists with 3.1 per game. He has shown the ability to throw crisp passes with either hand and is creative in his delivery. Moving forward, we can bet our money on Garland becoming a more reliable playmaker than Sexton ever will be.
As a result, Sexton seems to make sense as a spark plug with the second unit. Playing a role similar to that of Jordan Clarkson, Sexton could enter the game with no objective other than to score. This may be the best role for him in the long term.