Cleveland Cavaliers: Collin Sexton and Darius Garland can coexist

Before the season began, the Cleveland Cavaliers had serious concerns surrounding their backcourt pairing of the future in Darius Garland and Collin Sexton. It was unclear if the two would be able to coexist – but now, even after months of showing they are well suited to play together, the debate is only growing stronger.

Fans are picking sides and using each moment of success from one guard as ammunition to tear down the other. The discourse happens every day on Twitter and although Garland and Sexton appear to enjoy sharing the floor, fans won’t stop pitting them against each other.

Some argue that Garland is the more valuable of the two due to his ability to run the offense. On the flip side, others point to Sexton’s high-scoring games as proof he is the better half of the duo. In reality, the Cavaliers are at their best when both are playing at a high-level.

For example, the Cavs hold a 6-3 record when Garland dishes 8+ assists in a game. Similarly, Cleveland is 12-7 when Sexton scores 25 or more points. Compare this to the team’s overall record of 17-29 or their record without SexLand (3-6) and it’s clear the team is better when its two best players are on the floor.

It’s time to stop comparing and simply appreciate the growth Collin Sexton and Darius Garland are showing the Cleveland Cavaliers.

When the Cavaliers initially drafted Garland it was obvious why fans would feel confused about the decision. The team was fresh off a historically bad defensive season and rather than drafting for another position of need – the Cavaliers added another undersized, offensive-oriented guard to the backcourt.

Sexton and Garland’s flaws were on full display in their first season together. Streaky shooting, horrid defense and frequent turnovers plagued the 2019-20 NBA season as the Cavaliers finished in the bottom three of the league once again.

The eye-test wasn’t the only thing telling us that Garland and Sexton were a failed duo. The advanced analytics backed this up as well, placing SexLand as one of the worst two-man lineups in the entire association.

Neither were particularly good playmakers last season and this made sharing the ball between the two a challenge. Consequently, they looked better when they weren’t on the floor at the same time and the fan base slowly grew divided. Calls for Sexton to be benched or Garland to be traded flooded the internet after each game.

However, thanks to significant improvements from both Sexton and Garland, the two are actually playing better when they are next to each other this season. The Cavaliers’ plus/minus improves drastically when SexLand is sharing the floor as opposed to one or the other being on the sideline.

This is in large part due to Garland’s leap as a playmaker and Sexton’s efficient scoring. Garland looks totally comfortable being the primary ball-handler, dishing over six assists per game since February. Meanwhile, Sexton is taking full advantage of his scoring opportunities by averaging 24.0 points on hyper-efficient shooting splits for a guard (48/39/80).

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Of course, Sexton has improved as a passer too. He’s up to a career-high 4.3 assists per game this season and is a much more willing distributor in his third season. As for Garland, his shifty ball-handling has been magnified by his increased scoring, averaging nearly 17 points per game this season.

Many argue that there is no room for Garland and Sexton to both be ball-dominant guards in the backcourt. After all, there’s only one basketball. However, gone are the days of one player taking on all of the ball-handling responsibilities. The modern NBA has rapidly increased the need for playmakers and all of the top-tier teams have multiple players who can create shots off the dribble.

If anything, the Cavaliers don’t have enough players like Garland and Sexton. The need for more creators is obvious each time one of these two is on the bench. It’s also a clear reason why SexLand works best together because they are able to relieve pressure from each other with their own individual talents.

It’s fair to question how high their ceiling is. Few teams in NBA history have managed to become heavyweights with two players under 6’3″ leading the way and I can’t think of a single duo that has won a championship like this. Although they’ve shown a knack for scoring, their defensive limitations will always hold them back.

Nonetheless, the Cleveland Cavaliers have no better option than to keep Sexton and Garland together, for now. Worrying about which one deserves to be the franchise cornerstone is redundant. Instead, we should be rooting for both players to continue making strides in development as they have been.