NBA Draft: Luka Doncic rises to first in 2018 NBA Redraft

The Cleveland Cavaliers took Collin Sexton with the eighth overall pick in the original 2018 NBA Draft, and he certainly wasn’t a terrible choice. Sexton has grown into a prolific shot creator and shot-maker who ranked inside the league’s top-20 scorers last season. Would the Cavs be better off with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (who famously put his hand on the scale to influence where he landed) or Mikal Bridges? Absolutely, and I make the case above for a player like DiVincenzo being more valuable to more teams.

Even so, Sexton is a really good player, one who has almost completely reinvented himself upon entering the league. He was a high-motor, defensive point guard when he was drafted; he’s now a shooting guard and a massive defensive liability.

What he does well he does very well, though, as Sexton has increased his scoring average from 16.7 points per game as a rookie to 24.3 points per game last year. That’s not merely a result of increased minutes or volume, which have both only increased slightly each season; it’s more a function of Sexton’s increased efficiency, as his effective field goal percentage has increased each season as well.

In the redraft, Gilgeous-Alexander is no longer available for the LA Clippers at pick No. 11, but they swing for another guard in taking Sexton. The Clippers he would have joined were starting Patrick Beverly, a bigger, stronger defensive point guard; Sexton is an excellent fit beside him in a backcourt, making this a situation that could come close to maximizing his game.