The backcourt duo of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland is not talented enough for the Cleveland Cavaliers to bank their future on.
Entering year two of the rebuild, the Cleveland Cavaliers took a chance on drafting a guard in back-to-back seasons. They selected Darius Garland in hopes that he and Collin Sexton would become the backcourt of the future. Now that their first season together is finished, it’s time to accept that this duo just might not work out.
The Cavaliers held a 19-46 record before their season came to an abrupt end. This matched their win total from last year and placed them last in the Eastern Conference. Their disastrous season can be summed up by underwhelming stretches of play combined with turmoil in the locker room and their rookie head coach abandoning the team midway through the year.
Thankfully, there have been a few glimmers of hope for the franchise. Kevin Porter Jr. has lived up to the hype and solidified himself as a steal in last year’s draft. The 30th pick is averaging 14.2 points per game since late January and is becoming a crucial shot creator for the Cavs offense.
Nonetheless, Sexton and Garland stand as the team’s two most recent lottery picks. The franchise is banking on them to be building blocks for the future but it appears they don’t have the ability to coexist.
Too small for defense
The Cavaliers knew they had issues on the defensive end before they even drafted Garland. Last year, the Cavs posted the worst defensive rating of any team this century. In particular, Sexton was historically bad as an undersized guard playing without any skilled defenders to assist him.
To no surprise, Garland’s inclusion hasn’t helped much. The two have been turntables on the perimeter. Opponents frequently dribble straight passed them and the Cavaliers’ help defense hasn’t been effective enough to deter drives to the rim.
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Both guards are listed at 6’1″. This makes them the second shortest starting backcourt behind only Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors. Add the fact that Garland isn’t even old enough to drink and Sexton is only 21 years of age and it’s no wonder this duo has been schooled routinely on this end of the floor.
While the two will never be an elite defensive pairing, there is potential for them to at least be somewhat reliable. Sexton has shown improvement throughout the year as his blazing foot speed is beginning to benefit him. Meanwhile, Garland has shown to be a high IQ player that can put himself in positions for success.
It’s up to the Cavaliers front office to surround its backcourt with quality defenders to make up for their lack of height. Lanky and versatile wings will need to be added while an elite rim protector will anchor their defensive efforts. Still, the Cavaliers problems would be a lot thinner if they weren’t boasting such an undersized lineup.
Not compatible on offense
Defense may be their biggest concern but it isn’t their only one. Not only is this duo a weak link on the defensive end of the floor but they aren’t compatible on offense either.
Garland and Sexton are two guards who need the ball in their hands to be effective. Their ball-dominant tendencies make it difficult for the rest of the team to catch rhythm as these two repeatedly dribble them to sleep.
Neither are skilled playmakers. Sexton has roughly the same amount of turnovers as assists while Garland’s ratio isn’t much better. Consequently, the Cavaliers ranked 24th in assists per game. The two posts an awful plus/minus of minus 259 in their 1,255 minutes played together.
They rarely assist each other and do not generate quality shots for their teammates. It turns out having two ball-dominant point guards that aren’t exactly elite in any department makes for an inefficient pairing.
Better without the other
The Cavaliers’ saving grace may be splitting this duo up and doubling down on one of them being the starter moving forward. Sexton and Garland both have some redeeming qualities when looking at them as individuals and it is up to the front office to determine who is more worthy of being a cornerstone.
Sexton is actually a skilled scorer despite his reputation as a ball hog. He was on a blazing hot streak before the season ended in which he was averaging 28.1 points on 56.2 percent shooting from the field in his last 8 games. He has also shown slight improvements as a passer, dishing out 4.0 assists per game during this stretch.
As for Garland, he has looked like a much better playmaker since the New Year. Garland is averaging 13.7 points and 5.4 assists in 2020. He is noticeably more comfortable and confident with the ball in his hands.
The biggest problem here is that Sexton and Garland’s strengths don’t compliment each other. Meanwhile, their weaknesses only become magnified when they are on the court together.
Cleveland needs to decide who they want to be the building block of the future. If it isn’t Sexton or Garland, who is it? Perhaps pushing Porter into the starting lineup could help. Or, they can swing big and take another guard in the upcoming draft.
Whatever the front office decides to do, it’s clear that the sooner Cleveland is able to accept this backcourt pairing is a failure, the faster the franchise will find success.