Out of all of the 30 NBA teams this season, the Cleveland Cavaliers' year has been the most tumultuous.
Head coach John Beilein, who signed a five-year deal with the team in May after 12 mostly successful seasons at the University of Michigan, resigned from his position on February 19. Beilein had lost the locker room, due in large part to his "thugs/slugs" reference and the debacle that that turned into, and Kevin Love was also seen at times visibly upset with the 67 year old.
JB Bickerstaff has taken over as coach, and they sit at the basement of the Eastern Conference, with the league's second worst record, at 17-44. A far cry from the kings of the East that they were just two seasons ago with LeBron James leading them, the team has had little going for it this season.
Reason for optimism, though, might be the young nucleus of Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, Kevin Porter Jr, Cedi Osman and Larry Nance Jr, and the star veterans that surround them - Love, and recently acquired big man Andre Drummond. While Drummond is a free agent after this season and uncertainty of his future with the team is present, the Cavs do have a centerpiece at the head of that young nucleus to feel good about.
Sexton has been the brightest spot for this Cavs team, a second-year guard who just turned 21 at the beginning of January. In this second season, he is making big time strides, and has inside of him a wealth of talent, all of which was on display last night against the Utah Jazz.
Despite the 126-113 loss on Monday night, the Alabama alum was terrific against a Jazz team that is 9th in the league in points allowed per game (108.3) and 11th in opponent field goal percentage (45.3%).
Sexton displayed the full repertoire offensively, finishing with 32 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. He scored the career-high on just 17 field goal attempts (11 makes), as he was 6/8 from the line and shot the ball well from downtown, connecting on 6 of 8 attempts. Listed at 6'1 and 190 pounds, Sexton is very quick and has a special ability to weave in and out of traffic, while using screens to free himself. He has a quick, live dribble and is able to get through gaps whether it be for floaters or finishes at the rim. In pick and pop situations last night, he set up Kevin Love - who scored 22 on 6 threes - nicely, delivering the ball on point where Love could rise up and shoot. Sexton also has great quickness in the open floor, and sneaky leaping ability. Additionally, he's tough to defend because of his hesitation moves, and, as just mentioned, keeping his dribble alive where he never finds himself in a bind.
Last night's career best 32 points was Sexton's fourth game this season with 30 or more points, and he has established himself as one of the best young scoring guards in the league. If there is weakness in his game, it would be his defense and that his assist numbers aren't where you'd want them to be - he's only averaging 2.8 of those per game. However, his role on this Cavs team is to create offense, and he does a great job of that. He's averaging 20.2 points on the season at the moment, which is an improvement of 3.5 points from last season. Considering his minutes are only up to 32.5 from 31.8 as a rookie, and his shot attempts are up to 16.4 from 14.7, he has made quite the leap offensively. He's got his field goal percentage up to 46% from 43%, and his free throws to above 84%. He also doesn't take a ton of outside shots, but gets a fair share of his points on drives and floaters and in the mid-range. The fact that he's also aggressive and draws fouls and gets to the line only helps him become a more efficient, better player.
The Cavaliers may be stuck in a rut right now, but they do have a bright future if they keep their nucleus together and continue to add to it.
And their 21 year old lead guard is a big reason for that brightness.
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