Cleveland Cavaliers: Collin Sexton emerging as an All-Star

Collin Sexton was only a freshman at Alabama in 2017 when the Cleveland Cavaliers traded Kyrie Irving for a future NBA Draft pick. Roughly three years later, wearing Irving’s former jersey number and sporting his signature Nike shoes, Sexton welcomed Kyrie back to Cleveland with a heavily-contested 3-pointer to send the game into its second overtime.

This game marked the first time the two had guards had faced off. Going against the man he was traded for, Sexton looked Kyrie-esque as he scored 20 straight points across the two extra periods. In particular, Sexton drilled five backbreaking shots in the second overtime, burying daggers over Irving and harassing him on the defensive end. Sexton finished with a career-high 42 points and his offensive eruption earned national media attention as the Cavaliers toppled the new big three in Brooklyn.

"“You gotta love NBA ball, though. I was smiling when Collin Sexton was making those shots”Kyrie Irving on Sexton’s performance (Via AP News)"

While the rest of the world is catching up, last night wasn’t anything new for Sexton. The Young Bull is averaging 27.0 points on above 50 percent shooting and this marked his ninth consecutive game of 20+ points – a streak that not even LeBron James accomplished to open a season in Cleveland.

This isn’t the only time Sexton has put his name next to James. For starters, his 20 points in overtime matched James’ franchise record that was set back in 2007 during his iconic Game 5 performance over Detroit.

In addition to this, Sexton broke James’ rookie record for consecutive 20+ point games and also shattered Irving’s rookie 3-point record with 119 makes in his first season. All the while, Sexton is on pace to score more points than Irving through their first three years in Cleveland.

Collin Sexton is flat out balling for the Cleveland Cavaliers and it’s only a matter of time before he earns All-Star recognition.

However, the parallels between Irving and Sexton end there. The two couldn’t be more different on the court. Whereas Irving uses fineness, shiftiness and trickery, Sexton is straight pedal to the medal in attacking the basket. Once he starts, he isn’t stopping – and there are few players in the league capable of matching his foot speed.

This quickness was a blessing and a curse in his rookie season. Sexton could get to the rim whenever he wanted but was usually lost in the trees. Now, as Larry Nance Jr. said, Sexton is surrounded by trees of his own. With competent offensive big men like Nance, Andre Drummond and Jarrett Allen, Sexton has a bit more freedom in attacking the rim.

Add this to his increased awareness and the extra muscle he gained in the offseason and it’s easy to see why he has improved so much. Sexton can simply bulldoze his way into the rim and finish through contact now. And, if too much help comes over, he has no problem dishing to one of his teammates in the frontcourt.

On the season, Sexton is converting 52.4 percent of his drives. This places him as the seventh most effective slasher in the league. He is even more deadly in transition, where his blazing speed pushes him into the NBA’s 80th percentile.

Sexton has erased any concern surrounding his jump shot, connecting on 40 percent of his career attempts and serving as one of only seven players to shoot above 50 percent with at least 20 makes from deep this season.

The 22-year old has improved in every facet of the game. He’s getting to the free-throw line and dishing assists at career-high rates while also playing reliable defense. Sexton has helped push the Cleveland Cavaliers to the sixth-best record in the Eastern Conference and now that he has everyone’s attention, an All-Star appearance should be on the horizon.